Malfunctioning Time
by Kiragirl17
Summary: Trying to forget what day it was and to escape the lecture from Rogers, Toni locked herself in her lab to work on a project; however, she never expected her unfinished device to misfire and sent her back to the sexist 1940's. FemiTony. Time travel.
1. Shadow of the Past

Hello,

So, I was trying not to start a new Story as it takes me so long to update, but this idea came to me and I couldn't keep it in. Then I wasn't going to publish it... but I think it wanted out. So here it is.

And be WARNED this is a genderbender, which I seem to do a lot. This is a FemTony, so if you don't care for that, do not read.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to put this into a crossover with Captain America or just an Avenger Story. I decided just to list it as Avengers.

I do not own Avengers, though I wish.

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Chapter 1:

Shadow of the Past

* * *

She was pissed. How dare he talk to her like that? Who in the hell did he think he was? He didn't treat Agent Romanoff like this, so why was he treating her like his? She could take care of herself; she had been taking care of herself for years. She didn't need anyone and she really didn't need_ him_. She didn't even know why she was even on this team. Director Fury didn't even want her on the team to begin with. He thought she was egoist and riskless, which was true, but she was dying at the time. It still bugged her that he used that to judge her.

Shaking her head, Toni Stark took a deep breath. She wasn't going to let Rogers, no wait, _Captain America, _get to her. Though she wondered, why was he getting to her in the first place? His insults weren't the first and she knew damn well, they wouldn't be the last, so why did they hit so hard? Why did she care what he thought? If she really thought about it, she knew the answer. Her mind wandered to her father, and how her father talked about him. She knew Captain America was important to her father because he had never shut up about the man. So if someone well-liked by her father hated her, what did that say about her relationship with her deceased father? She didn't have a relationship with her father, and it hurt to know Captain America meant more to her father than she. Why did her father hate her?

As she took a deep breath, Toni told herself to calm down. She tried to focus her mind on something else, because she didn't want to think about her father and her lonely childhood, a childhood that still gave her nightmares.

"Fuck!" she swore as she burnt her hand on the torch. She dropped the torch as she waved her burnt hand into the air, trying to cool it. She remembered something. "FUCK!" The torch was still on. Without thinking, Toni reached down to turn it off. She fumbled with it as her hand hurt like hell. She didn't need her tower to burn down. "Fuck!" She cursed as she realized which part of the torch she had grabbed. She had picked up the metal mouth with her already burnt hand. "Fuck!" After she had set down the torch, she stared at her hand for a second, watching it turn red before reaching for the first aid. She knew this was her fault as she allowed her mind to drift.

"Are you okay, Miss?" The AI, known as JARVIS, asked. "I can call someone."

"I'm fine," she muttered. "You do not need to call anyone. I got this." She didn't want him to call anyone, because she didn't need anyone. She was fine on her own as she would always be.

Toni, after wrapping her hand, returned her work. The wrench hurt as she held it in her burnt hand, but she wanted to work on the device, which could fit in her small hands, in front of her. The device, when operational, should be able to shut down all electronics within a 10 foot range. If it worked, she would increase the range to 25 feet or more, but she couldn't get it to work just right. It just fried electronics and reverse the time on her clock by 15 minutes each time it fuzzed. That wasn't what she wanted.

Apart of her didn't want it to work, as she knew it could be used as a weapon. This world ran on power, and to suddenly take that, there would be massive panic. The world could be thrown in darkness. She didn't want to think about the consequences if this got out. So why was she building this? She thought she was out of the weapon business. Shaking her head, she told herself this wasn't a weapon. It was a shield for her team, when they went on dangerous missions. She wouldn't let anyone outside of the Avengers get their hands on it.

"Miss Potts is requesting entry."

Glancing back, Toni held back her scowl as Pepper smiled at her. _Note to self, replace glass doors with metal ones. _She had no idea why she thought glass doors were a smart idea, because it made it exceptionally hard to hide. "I'm surprise she doesn't just use the code." Pepper was one of the few people, who had code for the door.

"You changed the code."

"Oh," she muttered, forgetting she had done so. She had changed it yesterday, because somehow the jerk, Steve Rogers, had gotten ahold of the code. She didn't want him, well anyone ready, to have access to her lab. "Let her in," she ordered as she placed the device down.

Virginia "Pepper" Potts walked in, wearing a silver top and a lace pencil skirt. Pepper could always pull off the pencil skirt, unlike her. Toni couldn't really pull off the girly look, which was why she stuck to jeans and t-shirts. "Are you okay?" she asked as she noticed Toni's badly wrapped hand.

"I'm fine," Toni stated as she hid her hand under the table.

"When is the last time you ate?"

Toni looked up. "I ate breakfast," she said, lying. Toni couldn't recall the last time she ate; heck, she was lucky that she could remember the last time she left her lab. Pepper didn't need to know that. She didn't need that lecture.

Sighing, Pepper looked at her as if she didn't believe her. "Well, I made food. Come upstairs."

Rotating in the chair, Toni turned her attention back to the device, which she still hadn't named yet. She wanted to wait until she got it working before she named it. "I'll take it down here."

"Toni," she started, slowly. "You've to get out of the lab sometimes. You've been down here far too much." She walked to Toni's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. She leaned down a little. "Come eat."

She hated that voice and Pepper knew it, which was why she used it often. It was why she could hardly say no to Pepper. "I'll be up in a few." Both of them knew what that meant: maybe in an hour, but Pepper wasn't going to call her out on it. Calling her out wouldn't help, and she did get Toni to agree, which meant she would be up at some point. She just didn't know when.

Taking a deep breath, she turned away and headed toward that door. "And fix that clock. It's annoying."

Toni turned and stared at the clock, sitting on a tall table across the room. "What are you talking about? I just adjusted it to the right time." Thanks to the malfunctioning device, she had to keep fixing the clock to the right time, because each time the device fuzzed, the clock would jump backward. She didn't know how the clock kept jumping back as it was out of the 10 foot range, but she couldn't really predict the effect of the nonworking device.

"It's ahead by an hour," Pepper stated as she changed direction. She picked up the clock and changed it back to the correct time.

Toni stared at the watch on her wrist; she had set the clock to match her watch, which she could swear by. "Are you sure?" She pulled out her cellphone from her jean pocket and switched it on. When the screen lit up, she noticed the time stamp. It was an hour behind her watch. "Interesting."

After fixing the clock, Pepper turned back to the door. "Come eat, and I will come get you if you don't come up. I mean it, Toni. Don't test me," she said with a smile.

Putting her phone back into her pocket, she picked up the device and stared. What was going on with this tiny device? "Yes, mother," she teased. Though it was annoying, she was glad Pepper was here to do so.

"When did I sign up babysitting?" Pepper teased back as she walked out of the lab. Toni watched her leave from the corner of her eye, knowing she would be seeing her again.

Sitting there in silence after placing the device down, Toni placed her forehead against the table for a few minutes. She knew she should get up and get something to eat, because Pepper was right. She needed food… She needed to eat…. She was hurting herself by not eating but it wasn't like she was doing it on purpose. She was just busy.

Her stomach had been growling, and she knew she should eat but she kept telling it to be quiet. She didn't want to go up there. Why couldn't Pepper bring it down? She was forcing her to leave her lab, when she knew Toni didn't want to. She was evil. Toni didn't know who was upstairs, but she knew there was a lecture waiting for her. Her team loved to lecture her, well besides Barton who just laughed at her.

She didn't want to deal with a certain person today, because of what today was. It was March 15, and she knew Rogers would know the importance of that day, because it was the day that her father died. He liked her father unlike her. She couldn't really stand her father, and he couldn't really understand why, but Toni wasn't going to enlighten him. He didn't have the right to know. He didn't have the right to look into her soul.

Taking off her watch, she adjusted the time and stared at it before returning it to her wrist. Standing up, she straightened out her AC/CD shirt and headed out of the lab, because she didn't want Pepper coming after her, even if she had to see him. "Stop being a chicken," she told herself.

Making her way toward the kitchen, she could smell the food, which made her stomach growl more. She knew the smell of Pepper's food, having eaten it for years. Sure, Toni could cook as she had to fend for herself since she was a small child, but Pepper was always the better cook. She didn't know what Pepper did to her food, but she could morph it in something, something more than food. Toni smiled as the door to kitchen came into sight.

"So where is Stark?"

Toni froze at the door as she heard her name. She knew who it was by the tone of his voice: _Captain America. _He was back early from his mission with Romanoff and Barton; they weren't expected back for a few more hours. She wished he had returned when he was supposed to, so she could've sneaked into the kitchen. She hated dealing with him and his insults. Sure since saving the world together, they had an understanding with each other and they did get along, but after a while, she couldn't deal with his high and mighty attitude. She knew it was stupid, but she had started to pick fights with him, when she should've just let things go.

"She's in her lab," Pepper stated in annoyance. "She's always in her lab."

"And too busy to assist us too, apparently," Rogers stated, bitterly.

His tone pissed her off. They didn't need her on that mission, which Director Fury had confirmed when she requested she didn't go; however, Rogers thought she was being lazy and selfish, thinking only about herself. In order to avoid a fight with him, she had left the room and went straight to her lab, where she had been ever since. Rogers had tried to come down to talk to her, but she had told him to fuck off, which he did.

"She wasn't needed," Barton said, coming to her defense. "The three of us handle it with no problem."

"If you think about it, they didn't need all three of us," Romanoff stated. "Two of us would have been fine."

"We couldn't have known that. If that base was half as full as it could've been, we would've been screwed," Rogers argued.

Toni knew he had a point, but they both knew that it wasn't going to be. Their informant was solid; she wasn't needed. She wasn't going to be anywhere that she wasn't needed.

"We weren't, so drop it." Barton sounded annoyed. Barton and Banner were always coming to her defense as they seemed to understand her the best after Pepper or Rhodey.

Rogers didn't respond, but Pepper did, and Toni wished she would've just let it go. "I understand why she didn't want to go. Today is a hard day for her."

"Why?" Barton asked. Toni heard a slap and wondered who in the hell got slapped. She hoped it was Rogers, but she knew it most likely wasn't him. "Why did you hit me?" Barton asked, answering her question.

"Because you're an idiot," Romanoff muttered. "Today is March 15: The anniversary of Howard Stark's death."

"How would you know that?" Barton asked.

"I was Stark's secretary at one point. It was my job to know everything about her," Romanoff, who always sounded annoyed, stated more irritated than usually.

"Wait, that anniversary is today?" Rogers asked, surprised.

Now, that surprised Toni, as he and her fathers were friends. Howard couldn't stop talking about the famous Captain America and how he had stopped the war. Don't get her wrong, he was impressive, and she was a fan girl of him when she was younger, but she was sick of hearing about it all of the time. _I thought he knew._ She would have thought that Rogers would have wanted to know what happened to his friends. Maybe, their lives after him weren't important to Rogers. Maybe, he was the selfish one.

Hearing footsteps, she guessed they were Pepper's as they were too light to be anyone else. "It is, so please take it easy on her today," Pepper ordered. "Please just let it go. She doesn't want to remember it."

"Why? He's her father," Rogers stated. "He should be remembered."

"She didn't have a good relationship with her father," Romanoff stated. "I can understand, so for sanity, just drop it." Romanoff wasn't her biggest fan, so it was something to hear her defend Toni.

"He was my friend, you know. He wasn't just her father," he countered.

That pissed her off. Wasn't just her father? Did he think he had a right to her father? Sure, she didn't want him, but that didn't mean she wanted to share him with an ass. She was inching to go in there and punch him in his face, even though she knew that wasn't a good idea. She didn't need to break her already burnt hand.

"Shut it," Barton ordered. "I agree with Pepper. Let's change the subject." He lowered his voice. Toni inched closer to the door, because he was still talking. She wanted to hear what he was saying, but she couldn't make it out. Why would he lower his voice? Did they know she was listening?

Toni could hear more footsteps and she knew someone was walking toward the door. She didn't want them to find her listening, because she didn't want looks from them and she didn't want to talk about her father. And she really didn't want to speak about it with Rogers, who had already gotten into an argument with her over _her_ father.

Turning back to her lab, she hurried out of there as soon as possible.

* * *

Wiping the sweat off her brow, she stood back and started at her masterpiece. JARVIS had been able to locate some paint via Toni's requested, which she had used to paint the glass doors. The doors, which were in different shades of red and gold, were no longer see-through, and she was glad. She didn't want anyone to be able to see her. "JARVIS, play _High Way to Hell _and play it loud." The song played a second later.

She loved that song and she would sing along to it all day. "Living easy, living free… Season ticket on a one-way ride," she sung loudly. She didn't have a singing voice and she knew this, but she didn't care. She just enjoyed singing, even if her voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "Asking nothing, leave me be…Taking everything in my stride."

Toni's stomach growled, but she ignored it. "Don't need reason, don't need rhyme. Ain't nothing I'd rather do." She crossed to her work desk, wondering if she could get food delivered to her. Maybe, she could get Happy to pick her up a burger from Burger King. "Going down, party time. My friends are gonna be there too, yeah." But she doubted the gang upstairs would let him through that easy.

She missed her Malibu lab, which came with a garage exit. In this tower, the only way to leave was the now painted doors. "I'm on the highway to hell. On the highway to hell," she sung loudly. Her voice was almost quacking, but she didn't care.

Picking up the device, she reached for the screw driver. She was going to take it a part, because there was something wrong with it on the inside. She was ready to give up on it. "Highway to hell. I'm on the highway to hell." Taking off the metal covering, she stared at the wires.

"No stop signs-" Toni stopped as JARVIS had down turned down the volume. "Hey, what gives?" she asked, demanding answers.

"Captain Rogers and Miss Potts are requesting entrance."

_Urgh, _she thought. She didn't want to deal with anyone right now. "Tell them no," she answered, trying to listen to her song. It was playing too softly. "And please turn the music back up."

The AI didn't listen to her request. "I have already tried, Miss. They will not listen."

She knew Pepper was going to do this, but she didn't expect it out of Rogers… Okay, she did expect it from him, as he thought he would fix everything, which included her. Even with all of their fights, he thought she was something he needed to fix. "What do they want?"

"Miss Potts wants you to eat and Captain Rogers wants to speak to you."

Toni did want to eat, but she couldn't just take food from them without getting an earful. She stared at the door, wondering if they liked her art, which she was very grateful for at the moment. "Tell them I want to be left alone."

"I have already done so."

Toni sighed. "Turn on the speaker."

JARVIS turned off the music completely and turned on the speaker, so Toni could speak with them. She wasn't going to let them in, even if she wanted the food Pepper had.

"Stark, open up," Rogers demanded. Though she would deny it, she liked how he said her name.

Toni rested her head on hands and started at the monitor, which showed the hallway outside the doors. She could see the annoyance on Rogers' and Pepper's face. "And if I say no?" she asked.

They both looked up to the camera, looking almost relied that she answered. "Toni, come out," Pepper demanded.

"No," Toni stated, looking at the device. She put the metal casing back on the device.

"Stark, don't be an idiot," he stated. "You can't stay in there all day. You have to come out and eat."

Was that worry in his voice? When did he start caring about her personal wellbeing? Didn't he infer that she was selfish earlier? Why did he change his tone? "I can just order in. Burger King sounds good."

Rogers rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "There's no talking to you, is there?"

"Nope," Toni smiled. He finally understood that she wasn't going to listen_._ "I enjoy my stubbornness."

"Toni, fine, be stupid," Pepper yelled in frustration. "I'm not going to try then." She turned away and walked up the steps. It hurt to see Pepper work away, but Toni knew this was what she wanted.

"By the way, nice paint job," Rogers stated, drawing her attention back to him. She was surprised he didn't leave with Pepper. "It's something."

"I don't like people watching me." Toni stared at the monitor, trying to figure out what was going through his mind. "What do you want anyways?" His tone changed slightly with the departure of Pepper.

He took a step back from the camera, as he stared at the key pad on the door. "I want to talk. Let me in."

"No," She stated, turning back to the device. She tried to stop her mind from drifting back to the Captain and her father. Why did he want to talk to her? Did he want to talk about her father? Or was it because she wouldn't leave her lab?

"Stark," he started, taking a deep breath. "I know what today is." Nope, it was about her father.

Remaining silence, Toni refused to talk to him about her father. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't talk to anyone about her father. There were times she had wanted to speak with Pepper or Rhodey about it, but each time she opened her mouth, nothing had come out.

"S-Toni," he uttered as he tried some random codes. "Please let me in." He sounded weak, and it almost broke her. The way he said her name did not help as it made her heart miss a beat.

"Captain Rogers, the likelihood that you would guess the code is 1.2342%," JARVIS stated. "It is futile."

Rogers glanced up and smiled. "I like to beat the odds."

Toni stared back the monitor and narrowed her eyes. He had a smile that could light up a room, but that didn't mean she would let him in. However, she had to admire his attitude, even if she could barely stand him.

"How many times do I need to say let me in? 5, 10,15 times? Let me in, please. Talk to me. "

Toni stood up and started to pace. "I don't want to talk about my father!" She yelled. "So just go away."

"You can't keep it in."

"I had been doing that for years." She shook her head, as she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she pictured her father, who was always yelling at her for doing something wrong.

"I don't see the issue? Why is there so much anger toward your father? The man I knew-"

Something snapped in her. "The man you knew was a fake!" She yanked open the glasses doors, ignoring the hunger pains, and walked Rogers into the wall. "The man I knew was an ass, who didn't give a crap about me!" She wanted to slap him. "He didn't speak to me unlike he had to. He was just too busy to care. Too busy to tell me he loved me or even that he liked me."

"He wasn't like that."

She could feel the Captain's breath. "The man you knew maybe, but he isn't the man I knew." She looked down, not wanting to see his eyes. Toni didn't want to speak to him, but somehow he had gotten her to come out of her lab, when she didn't want out. She didn't want to think about what that meant. "Please just leave me alone. I don't want to talk about him with you, especially you."

Toni was so close to him that she could hear his breathing change and it made her wonder if she had gotten to him. Sure, she had insulted him, but she didn't think those insults had affected him as much as that statement did. It made her feel guilty, and she hated to feel guilty.

"Why do you push people away?" he asked softly. His back was against the wall and there was nowhere to go as Toni had him pinned. His hand grazed her arm as he was unsure of what to do with it.

The contact made her want more. "I dislike people." It was the truth. She had never gotten along with other people, and it always got her in trouble. She had learned that it was best if she was alone, and that was why it was hard for her to be on this team. She wasn't use to the backup.

"Fine, I'll leave. Stark, have fun being alone," he replied, as he placed his hands on her small shoulders and pushed her back softly, which Toni allowed him to do so. As he walked away, he stated, "There's food upstairs. You should eat."

"Don't tell me what to do!" she snapped. Toni watched him leave before she turned back to her lab. "JARVIS, I do not want any other interruptions." She returned to her chair. "Turn the music up loud. I don't want to hear myself think." The AI did as she wished this time and turned the _High Way to Hell _up so loud that Toni knew they would hear it upstairs, but she didn't care.

She also didn't care that her hunger pain was getting worse, because her emotional pain was greater and she didn't know how to deal with it. She never knew how to deal with it, because she wasn't taught to. In her family, emotions were for the weak, so she hid them. She acted the way she did to hide that she was hurting. She allowed herself to get lost in her playgirl egoist image, so no one could see the truth.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the device. "What if I give this thing more power? The lack of power must be the reason why it isn't working. Everything should be working." She had to yell for JARVIS to hear her.

"I would not suggest that," JARVIS stated, "There would be no telling what it would do to your chest piece if you increase the power."

Though the device even with increase power would not bypass 10 feet, she couldn't know predict what would happen to the electronics in the range. Toni looked down at her chest piece and wonder if it would withstand the device. She had taken steps to make sure her Arc Rector would withstand the wave, but there was always a change that it wouldn't. There was a part of her that didn't care about the risk to the Arc Rector, and that scared her. Why didn't she care for her own life? "It'll be fine."

"If you say so."

Toni smirked. "I do. If anything does, I give you permission to alert the others." She knew even without permission that JARVIS would alert the orders.

"Yes, ma." There was a pause. "It would be best to wait for Mr. Banner's return."

She knew the reasoning behind that as Banner was the only one scientist in the group besides her. If something were to go wrong, he would be the only one who could save Toni. No one else had any idea of how her chest piece worked besides him. The scientists at SHIELD could only guess of how it worked. "He isn't due back for few more days, and you know how impatient I am."

"Yes, Miss Stark. I do know how impatient you are."

"Then let's get started," She stated with a smile, but that smile would not last long. In a few minutes, she would regret not listening to JARVIS.

* * *

I hope you liked it: Updated: 6/11/2013


	2. Danger in the playground

Hello, back again.

Still don't own Avenger.

I hope you like this chapter. :) Please review.

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Chapter 2:

Danger in the playground

* * *

Pepper had left soon after she had come up from the lab, and it was clear that Toni had pissed her off as she stormed out of the Tower without a word. Steve came up from lab a few minutes later and headed directly to the couch in front of the fire pit. He didn't say much, so it was also clear that Toni had pissed him off too, which was hard to do.

"So Stark isn't coming up?" Natasha asked as she left the well-stocked bar.

Steve stared in the non-lit fire. "No, I do not think she will." He was thinking about something, and after some silence, he spoke again. "I really don't understand her. How can she be so careless?"

Clint walked into the room. "It is who she." He eyed Natasha, as she walked to the chair beside the couch and sat down. She had a drink in her hand. "She isn't use to having so many people, who would care if she died, looking out for her." He crossed to the bar to get himself a drink.

Natasha glanced toward Clint. "Did you to get into another fight with her?"

"Yes," Steve answered.

"You know, it's never a good thing, when Mother and Father are fighting," Clint teased, as he crossed to the window. The view was amazing and Clint could understand why Toni built the tower here. "It does a team no good. Maybe, you two should just make up already. Or not, angry sex is the best kind of sex there is."

Steve turned suddenly, almost falling off the couch. "Wait….What?" Natasha laughed, which was rare. "Is he inferring that Stark and I are…?" he asked, turning to Natasha. Clint started laughing, seeing Steve's face was blood red. "We haven't done anything. We are just friends…" He paused and looked around, trying to locate a good spot to stare. "There's nothing going on between us…"

Natasha and Clint laughed louder. "I like how worked up he's getting," Clint crossed to his teammates. "Are you sure, Captain?"

"There's no fonduing between us!" He hid his cherry face.

"Fonduing? Is that what the kids are calling it?" Clint grinned. "Fonduing? Natasha, want to fondue?"

Natasha stopped laughing and turned her attention back to Steve. "Barton just meant you and Stark are leaders of this group, and it's not a good thing when you two fight."

"Oh," Steve muttered. "Why didn't you just say that?" His face slowly returned to its normal color.

"It-" Loud music started to play. "-is what I said," Clint finished, turning to the door. "What the hell? Is she going to have ear drums after tonight?"

Natasha took a deep breath. "So what did you say to her to upset her this much?" She narrowed her eyes at Steve.

Steve turned to her and returned her glare. "What makes you say that?

She brought her hand to her face in disbelieve. "I don't know. By the way you have entered the room and the loud music coming from the lab? She doesn't play this shit loud unless she's upset."

The Captain stood up and walked to the bar. Though it was impossible for him to get drunk, he would try. It was after he poured himself a glass of whiskey that he answered her. "Why is this mine fault? I didn't do anything to her. It isn't my fault that no one can talk to her."

Clint took a deep breath. "You just like to bring up shit that she doesn't want to talk about, so yea, I blame you." He moved toward the door. The music was louder in the hall way.

Steve slammed the glass down, breaking it. "I'm not sorry that I want to mourn a friend. I have every right to do so, but I am sorry that I'd upset her. I thought she would want to talk about it." He looked for a trashcan so he could clean up his mess.

"You know she didn't. You have heard what Pepper said," Clint stated, leaning against the door.

After finding a trashcan, he started to pick up the glass, careful not to cut himself. "I know. That is why I went down to the lab."

Natasha picked up a book. "You're an idiot. You scared her away earlier, when she had come out to eat, which is something that she needs, and now you have her locked in her lab." She stared at a few pages before putting it back down.

"We don't really know if she overheard us earlier," Steve countered as he reached for a towel to wipe the liquid. The expensive Whiskery, as Toni wouldn't buy anything cheap, smelled strong.

Clint and Natasha both turned to him and were glaring. "I think he doubts our assassin skills, Nat."

"Yea, I don't know how I feel about that," she admitted, eyeing him. Her hand played with the handle to her gun, which was still holstered. She hadn't disarmed, which was rare if she did, because she was hardly without a weapon.

"Maybe, we should show him," Clint grinned. He didn't reach for his weapons, but he was equipped.

"Yes, I agree."

Steve looked between them with scared look him his eyes. "Are you two serious? I'm not going to fight teammates over something stupid."

"You were-" Clint started to say.

He stopped as Pepper had entered the room looking for something. "Have you seen my phone?" she asked looking around to the three avengers. "I need it. I am waiting for an important phone call."

Happy to change the subject, Steve spoke up first, "Weren't you going home? Can't you just use your home phone?"

"Half way home, I noticed that I forgot my cell phone. I need my cell phone. The home phone won't do for business call I am waiting for. Have you seen it anywhere?" Pepper bit her lip, as she glanced around the room. Sighing, she walked to the bar where Steve was standing. "Did you break a glass?" she asked as she noticed the wet counter and small pieces of glass. He nodded. "Just be careful, I don't need anyone to get cut."

"I will, ma," he watched her.

"Ah, there it is," she stated. Pepper, who seemed to be in a much better mood than when she left, smiled as she picked up the phone and placed it in her purse. She looked around the room, noticing the tension. "Is there something wrong?"

"The idiot got into a fight with Toni after you left," Clint answered.

Steve sighed. "I wish you would stop calling me that."

"Well if the shoe fits wear it." The three avengers were glaring at each other.

"I swear I'm not a baby sitter, and I refuse to be one," Pepper stated as she walked to the door. "The Avengers are children."

Natasha stood up. "I know."

"Hey, wait." Pepper turned back to Steve. "How did you get into a fight with her? She's in her lab and she isn't coming out." She stared him down like no one else could do. "And that would explain the music." She rubbed her ears.

Putting the trash back on the ground, Steve took a deep breath. "I got her to come out…but-"

"You got her to come out?" Pepper asked shocked.

"But it didn't last. I pissed her off and she stormed back in." He rubbed the back of his head, because he knew he had made it worse. "I put my own foot in my month."

"He's an idiot when it comes to women. No wonder he can't get laid," Clint pointed out. "Dumbass."

Steve took a step forward as Clint insulted him again. "You remind me of a bully," he stated, irritated. Clint took a step forward, staring down Steve. "You know you can't take me in a real fight so you have to throw insults."

"If anyone sounds like a bully, it's you," Clint responded, as both Steve and he closed the distance between them.

Pepper was annoyed. "How can you people be a team?" she asked, moving out of the way. Something was going to happen and she wanted nothing to do with it. One, it would be deadly, and two, they weren't her responsibility; Toni was.

Natasha noticed the increase tension and jumped between them. "Guys calm down. You-"

The music stopped, but it didn't remain silent. An earsplitting alarm sounded through the whole tower. Blinking yellow lights, which came out of nowhere, had lit up the whole room.

"What the fuck is that?" Clint asked as he covered his ears, and he wasn't the only one.

Pepper was panicking as she knew what this alarm meant. "JARVIS! What happen? Is Toni okay?" she yelled as loud as she could. If she didn't, there was no way he would have heard her.

"What is this?" Natasha hissed. She held her hands firmly against her ears. "Is there an intruder?"

"JARVIS, turn this shit off!" Clint ordered. "If there was an intruder, I think the sound would've killed him. What kind of home alarm is this?"

"It is against protocol. I cannot it off," the AI responded.

"Then just turn it down, so we can think," Steve responded.

"Very well," JARVIS responded. The yellow lights were still flashing annoyingly, but the earsplitting alarms had died down, almost to a murmur.

Steve, who hands had left his ears, turned to Pepper, but she wasn't there. She had bolted out of the room, heading toward the lab. "Wait! What is going on? Is Toni in trouble?" He chased after Pepper, and he wasn't alone. Clint and Natasha had followed, knowing something had to be wrong.

* * *

Pepper, who was the slowest of the four, was the first to arrive as the other had allowed her to. They weren't going to fight her mothering instinct, and she was the only one who truly understood what was going on. "Shit," she cursed as the lab doors came into view. The painted glass doors had been replaced.

Steve stared at where the glass doors were supposed to be. "Wait, what is this?" From floor to ceiling, metal doors blocked the lab entrance. In big block bright yellow lettering, the word caution was plastered against the huge metal doors.

Clint knocked against the door, noting how strong it was. "This does not look good."

Natasha stood back. "I remember Stark telling me about this. She told me that if the lab closed itself off like this, it wouldn't be good." She took a deep breath. "She said, while laughing, she would most likely be dead or worse." There was a grim expression on her face.

Pepper stared at Natasha before slamming her fists on the door. "JARVIS, let us in!" Before she could hit the cold metal again, Steve stopped her. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, ignoring the stinging in her hand. "Let us in!" she ordered, pulling her hand away from Steve.

"I cannot do that, Miss. Potts," the AI stated. No one could get use to the disembodied voice as it came out of nowhere.

"Why not?" Steve asked. "Stark could be hurt!"

"The lab is under lockdown and no one is allowed in until a full scan is complete," JARVIS stated. "That is the protocol that Miss Stark had written."

Clint glared at the ceiling, not knowing where to glare. It was annoying not having anything physical to yell at, when he was pissed, and he was pissed. "What the hell happen?"

"The Device that Miss Stark had been working on went off and everything in a 10 foot range is gone," he stated.

If she wasn't frightened before, she was now; Pepper's expression was pure fear. "Let us in! I need to see Toni."

In anger, Steve slammed his fist into the metal shield, denting it. "Toni could be hurt! Open these doors right now." He slammed his fist again in the same spot, but the metal did not break.

"Captain Rogers," JARVIS started, "there would be no point as she is not in the lab, and it is impossible for me to go against Miss. Stark's protocol."

Natasha took a step forward. "What do you mean she's not in there?"

"She was the ten foot range, when the device was active."

Clint flexed his fist. "What does that mean? Where is she?"

"I do not know of Miss Stark's location. She is not in the tower," JARVIS answered. "I also do not have any record of her leaving the tower as well."

"How can that be? She was in lab before the Device and now she's not?" Pepper asked. "Can you tell us anything? Is she alive?" Her voice was shakily.

"When can we be let into the lab?" Natasha asked, eyeing Pepper. She was a trained assassin and she didn't like the what if's. She needed facts.

"In 3 minutes and 53 seconds."

* * *

The metal doors squeaked as they retracted slowly, revealing the painted doors. Pepper, the first one to make it to the door first, tried to pull it open, but they would not open. "JARVIS, unlock the lab now."

"Yes, Miss Potts," he stated. The key pad on the glass doors blinked and the door flew open.

The four walked in and each one of their hearts stopped at the sight of the lab. There in the middle of the lab, where Toni's desk was supposed to be, was a big hole in the ground in a perfect circle. Nothing else in the lab was disturbed, and it wasn't for the big hole in the ground, no one would ever know something was wrong.

Steve was the first to move. "Is the floor steady?" he asked, unsure of his steps. "The floor is not going to cave in, is it?"

"If it was unsafe, I would have not let you in, Captain," the AI stated.

The Captain nodded and inched closer. Lowering to his knees, he studied the hole, which had no sharp edges. He could see the room below. "What are the chances that she's alive?" he asked, his voice was shakily.

Pepper was shocked by his question. "She has to be alive." She looked around; there were no signs like blood. "There would be signs if she's dead."

Natasha put her hand on Pepper's shoulder. "Anything is possible, right JARVIS."

Clint's eyes wandered around the hole. It was very interesting, because JARVIS as correct. Everything just vanished, and that was strange. There were no displaced tiles, broken pipes or anything. It was a clean cut. There were no evidence that anything besides a hole was ever there. "Is there anything you can use to track Toni?" Clint asked.

Pepper looked up. "She had turned her cell on. I saw her do it. You can track her by that!"

The AI didn't respond at first. "I cannot track Miss Stark's phone."

"Why can't you?" Steve asked. He had no idea of how to do that, but he knew it can be done.

"In order to track a phone, it needs to be on or be intact," Clint responded. "And let me guess, Toni's phone is either broken or not on."

"Yes."

"Crap," Natasha cursed.

* * *

Until Next time.


	3. Broken Will

Good day,

I do not own Avengers or Marvel and I am not making money off this.

Reviews are nice.

* * *

**Chapter 3: **

**Broken Will**

* * *

Toni's head felt like it was on fire, while her lungs felt like there was a brick on her chest. "Urgh," she muttered painfully; her throat felt like sand. Every part of her hurt and she thought she was going to die from the pain. She was familiar with pain as she had experience it before, but this was something different. Something completely different.

Laying on her side, Toni tied to push herself up, but her arms could not support her. Pain shoot through her left arm, making her wonder if it was broken. "Ja.." she tried to call out. Her voice died in throat.

Her eyes lids felt heavy as she tied to open her eyes. "L-lights," she stuttered. She could barely make out anything in the darkness and Toni wasn't sure if her eye sight or the lights.

"I s-said lights, J-JARVIS," she said. The darkness couldn't be just her eyes, because she made out odds shapes. _Is that the moon? _She thought to herself. Did she blow up the ceiling? That would explain why she was in so much pain. "Urgh," she muttered again as pain shot through her head. Out of reflex, her hand flew to her head, and it was wet. _Why is my head wet? Did a pipe break?_ She knew that wasn't right. Water wasn't sticky. She knew she bleeding, and she knew it was bad. It had started to drip down her face.

She had to get help and it was obvious that Jarvis wasn't going to. "S-stupid AI," she muttered. She tried to push herself up again, but she didn't make it. She just fell harder again the cold ruff titles. She tried to look up at the moon, so she could focus, but when she looked up, everything started to spin. Her fuzzy vision had gotten worse. Black spots filled her vision.

She started to shake as she felt the wind pick up. _What happen to walls?_ The walls should have provided some kind of protection for her. Maybe the Device did more damage to the building than she thought, and that frightened her. Her teammates were the Tower, and she didn't want anything to happen to them.

"He-help," she called out, trying to yelling, but it wasn't anything more than a whisper. She couldn't stay on the ground, waiting for them, because they could be hurt worse than she. Using her fear, she pushed herself up with one arm and looked around. Everything was still fuzzy, but she could make out a few things. Her broken desk and chair lay a few feet from her. The Device, which seemed to be one piece, was a few feet in front of her. Titles floor, which looked like it had fallen from the sky, was no long whole.

Shaking from the wind and weak muscles, Toni struggled to push herself to her knees with one arm. Her left arm was pretty much useless. _I can do this,_ she thought as blood dripped from her head. Her mind started to go and it was getting harder to think. "H-help," she begged, her throat screaming in pain. Her breathing, if possible, was becoming more difficult, which made her take hollow breaths. It hurt to breath in deep.

Her fear had turned to panic as she noticed the fading light coming from her Arc Reactor. _No,_ she cried, as there was nothing she could do. She had never felt so alone and weak. Even when she was tortured for her weapons, she had Yinsen, who had saved her life, but now, the only thing keeping her alive was going out, and there was no one, who could help her. She wouldn't call for help, even in her own house, her home.

Her mind started to go to the dark side. Someone should've come to her; JARVIS should've alerted the Avengers that one of their own was down, but they weren't there. Why did everyone abandon her?

She was going to die alone, which she always knew was going to happen, but she thought maybe she could beat that, since she now had friends. Maybe, she was wrong… Though she was glad that the pain would stop if she died, she didn't want to die and leave Pepper to find her body.

"Help," she yelled, as her body gave out. She fell hard against the ground again, and this time, she didn't try to get up. She was giving up, and she was okay with it for the first time in her life. She had given up before, but that was different. Now, she was done. She was done trying and she was okay with that.

_I deserve this for-_ She never finished her thought as a voice interrupted her peaceful death.

"Miss, are you okay?" She could hear the stranger run to her and she could feel his hand on her. "Please answer me."

Toni shifted so she could glance up at her savior; it was Rogers, and the sight of him made her heart skip… She blinked. He looked different; he looked smaller. Since when did Captain America look like a shrimp? Was the pain really clouding her vision? She wasn't an idiot; she knew she had a concussion, because she had a hard time keeping her mind focus and her head was bleeding. The blood was a big clue. "R-Rogers," she struggled, "what h-happened to you? Y-you…are s-shrimp."

The little Captain lowered himself down to her. "I…I have always been this size," he stated, unsure of himself.

"Don-" Her throat burned. Maybe, she should just shut-up, because she was just hurting herself now. Plus, the lack of air in her lung cut off her ability to speak.

"Miss!" he sounded startled. "Stay with me, please. Please, stay awake."

Toni had tried to focus on him, but the dark spots started to get in her vision, so she closed her eyes. She would focus on his voice, his calm relaxing safe voice. She would never admit it, but she loved to listen to him speak. No, she didn't care for what he said half the time, but his voice calmed her. She loved its tone and how innocent it sounded. "I-I…c-can't," she stated.

"Someone help, please!" he yelled. "Help!"

She could not get over the pleading in his voice, wondering why he was letting his fear soak through. He was train to hide his fear, when speaking, and though she knew he had fears, she never heard it in his voice. Yes, she had heard annoyance and anger, but not fear. Hiding his fear from his tone, he was able to keep his team calm, which is what she needed. Did her state really frighten him?

Toni felt his hand leave her body, and she feared that she would not feel a comfort of a friend again. Yes, she considered the Copsicle a friend, even if it didn't look like it. She tried to turn her head and see where he had gone, but she couldn't keep her eyes open. "S-Steve," she called out. It wasn't louder than a whisper and there was no way he could have heard him call out.

"Lady!" she heard him call for her, and she could heard more than one voice, but she didn't have time to think about who else it could have been as she had blacked out.

* * *

When Toni came to, she knew she was in the hospital and not _her_ tower by the smell and feel of the bed. One reason she hated hospitals was the beds, which were uncomfortable, smelly, and cheap. Sure, she knew it was a waste of valuable funds, but still. They could at least try, right?

She squeezed her eyes shut as the pain flew through her body. _The meds must be wearing off._ She tried to move her arms to call the nurses for more meds, but her left arm was in a sling, a clear sign it was broken. The other was handcuffed to the bed's railing as if she was a criminal. _What the fuck? Why would they treat me like that? _Sure, she knew she pissed SHIELD and the Avengers off and always had an act of sneaking off, but did they really have to handcuff her? Did they not trust her?

"Guy? This isn't funny," she asked, her throat still burned. The pain almost overtook her. She really needed another dose of medication. She pulled at the handcuffed, but it didn't do anything, and it was stupid to think it would. However, that really didn't stop her as she pulled harder.

"Miss, please calm down," a nurse came flying in.

Toni stared at the woman, who just came in with a needle. What the fuck was she wearing? It appeared to be a 1940's something nurses uniform, which consisted of a white dress with an ugly collar and sleeves and a light blue sweater. "What are you wearing?" She asked. No present day nurse would wear that shit and she knew damn sure SHIELD didn't have facilities like this, noticing how old the room looked like.

"It's called a uniform," the women responded as if Toni was an idiot. She poked her with the needle.

Toni felt her mind start to go a little as the meds started to take over. "A hideous uniform."

The nurse smiled. "If you want to talk about hideous, you should've seen the clothes they brought you in or wait you did." She marked down something on her chart and walked out of the room.

_Ouch_, Toni thought as she wanted to leap out the bed and attack the unnamed nurse. No one insulted Toni Stark and got away with it, but…right now, she had no choice. She had to take it as she was handcuffed to the bed…and no, it wasn't as fun as the last time she was handcuffed to a bed.

Laying back, she stared at the ceiling and tried to think about her situation, but her stupid hair was irritating her. She had wanted to chop it off, but Pepper wouldn't let her. That woman wouldn't let her do anything and it was exasperating. Toni was a grown ass woman…

_Urgh!_She thought. Since one of her arm was broken, the other was handcuffed and her body was stiff, she was forced to blow her medium black hair out of her face; however, it really wasn't working. Giving up on blowing her hair out of the way, she forced her mind back to work.

She had to figure out where she was and who had her. This hospital room looked nothing like any hospital she been in or seen. It looked like it came from the 1930's or 40's, just like that ugly nurse. The device, which monitored her vitals, looked ancient, and that scared her. If her captors were using out of date equipment, it wasn't good. Maybe, she was a prisoner for some third world villain, but that didn't explain the Captain. Rogers wouldn't betray her, even if she pissed him off.

_Then what else could this be?_ Her mind wandered to the Device she created. Could it be the reason why she was here? One idea came to mind, but that wasn't possible, especially when that wasn't what she had been trying to do. Shaking her head, she paused on the thought. That could be the reason why her never wrong watch, which was missing from her wrist, was wrong…so maybe, it was possible. How else could she explain the 1940's shit and the Shrimp? She thought she imagined the tiny Captain...

The door to her hospital room flew open and a man in military uniform walked in. He was also wearing a 1940's uniform, which added to Toni's theory. Though this could be some giant joke, she wouldn't understand the point of that. Why would anyone try and make someone think they were in the past? What purpose would that solve?

_He looks familiar, _Toni thought as she took in the Colonel, which she could tell by his uniform. He was an older man, who was balding. "Ello, Colonel," she smiled, trying to figure out where she knew him from. The meds were making it harder for her to remember.

He stared at her. "So what can I call you? Jane Doe does not seem fitting for this conversion." He took the chair form the corner of the room and set down next to the bed.

"Being handcuffed doesn't seem fitting either," she asked, raking her brain for an answer. "So why am I in military custody?"

The Colonel had seen the worst of war. "What can I call you?" He asked, sitting down.

"Toni," she offered. If she was in the past, she wasn't going to give him her last name, and if this was some kind of joke, her captors should already know who she was. No one could forget a face like hers.

"No last name, Toni?" he asked, sounding annoyed as he tapped his figures against his leg. He didn't have time for this.

"Why am I here, Salty?" she asked. He was fishing for something and she didn't want anything to do with it. "What do you want from me?" She was never the one to beat around the bush.

He looked at her. "The name is Colonel Phillips."

It came at her like a pound of bricks. Howard used to talk about him, whenever he talked about Rogers. This man had helped to produce Captain America. Sure, he wasn't Dr. Abraham Erskine, the man who had created the famous Captain, but he was one of the reasons why the project existed. "Well, Colonel Salty, why am I here?" she teased. He seemed like a salty character to her.

He narrowed his eyes. "You were found trespassing on private property, where it looked like a small bomb went off."

"Isn't that something for cops? And not the US Military?" What could this man want? He wanted something, and Toni didn't want any part in it.

He learned forward and pulled out a clear bag and a yellow envelope. In the clear bag was her cell phone, and in the other were photos of her stupid device. "These are the only things were found on you, and they aren't like anything we seen before."

Toni wasn't one to carry ID as everyone knew who she was and she never needed it. If she did need it, Pepper was the one who always carried it. In this case, she was really glad she didn't. She didn't need him to locate that ID. "They are something I'm working on." What else could she say to that? _Where is the Device?_ She asked herself, not liking that it wasn't here. She didn't need it in the wrong hands.

"I assume this is a communication device," he stated as he stared at the smart phone. "I can't quite get it to work, but that isn't what I am interested in."

She stared at him. Sure, she needed to get her phone back as it obtained information from the future, but she was more concern about her unnamed device. "Where's my other device?" she asked. She needed that device in order to get home. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she knew that the device was the key… When did she start believing that she was in the past?

"Mr. Stark has it," he stated as he put her phone back into the bag. "I am sure you know who that is." He put the photo in her lap.

"Of course," Toni snapped. She didn't want her father anywhere near her device, and she would do anything to get it away from him short of killing him.

Phillips laughed. "I see you don't like him, but you're not the only one." He paused. "Is there any reason why?"

Sure, he would be laughing; she bet everyone was laughing at her. Was this some kind of joke from God? "You have taken my private property. I demand it back."

"You don't have a right to demand to have it back."

"I am a United States citizen. You don't have the right to do this to me." Toni was pissed. She knew his title give him the right to do whatever he deemed fit, but that didn't mean he can use that authority on her.

"I don't know if I believe you. You seem like a spy to me, with all of these strange contraptions of yours. Are you working with Hitler?" He asked, seriously. He took a look down at her chest.

"NO!" she denied. _Wait, is he looking at my chest?_ She though, annoyed. "Hey, buddy, my eyes are up here," she said, trying to point at her face. Sure, she didn't mind when men looked at her chest, but that was only when she allowed it. She didn't care for it here.

The Colonel looked insulted. "I was not. I was looking at that thing in your chest." He pointed to the Arc Reactor.

Toni, who had forgotten about her chest piece in her confusion, looked down. She felt like an idiot. How could she forget about that? It was the keeping her alive. "My reactor," she muttered, closing her eyes. When she was in the empty lot, something she could tell from the photos, the reactor was fading in and out. Opening her eyes, she glanced down. It wasn't fading, but it wasn't as bright as it usually was. _The Device must've drained it. I should've listen to JARVIS, _she thought, feeling stupid. The Arc Reactor was barely visible through the hospital gown, and that wasn't a good sign.

"This reactor," he started, using her word, "is very interesting. It's intergraded into your body. Why is that?" He learned forward in his chair. "When the doctors found that thing, you freaked out not letting them look at it. You had knocked out a few nurses, yelling at them not to touch it."

"I don't remember that," Toni stated.

"You can blame that on the concussion and, the fact, that you were out for a week," he stated. "Anyhow, Dr. Erskine and Mr. Stark stated that the piece is keeping you alive." He leaned back in his chair. "So why do you have it in your chest?"

Howard had been here? He had seen her? Closing her eyes, she tried to relax herself, because if her breathing kept at this pace, she would go into a panic attack. Toni Stark did not have panic attacks. "Howard was here?" she asked.

Phillips wasn't an idiot by any shot and noticed her reaction to Stark's name. "He was, and he was quite interested in taking a look at your reactor. He would like to talk to you about it."

"No," she stated firmly.

"You won't have a choice on that."

"We'll see about that." Toni wasn't going to talk to her father.

He stood up and crossed to the windows. "You have never answered my question." Phillips looked back, staring at her for a few minutes. "Why would such a pretty young thing have that in her chest?"

Toni was used to fake comments. "It keeps me alive. That's all you need to know." She wasn't going to go into the history of the reactor with his man or her father.

Sighing, he walked to the door. "I see you aren't going to cooperative with us. I wanted to do this the easy way. I would like not to interrogate a woman. "

Toni snorted, because she hated the easy way. She liked making things difficult. "If you knew me, you would understand. I won't tell you anything and your male chauvinist ways won't help you, asshole." She didn't know what he was looking for, but she knew she wasn't going to give him anything.

"You have a mouth." He took a deep breath. "So be it," he stated as he walked out of the door.

That had the genius worried. She wasn't an expert on 1940 law, but she was sure she wouldn't like the power it gave him. In her time, the law was there to protect the people, but in this time, there was a war going. This country was afraid of Hitler and they would authorize anything to protect themselves.

"This isn't good," she stated. Her throat felt worse than before; she should've just shut-up. "Urgh," she muttered, pulling at the handcuffed. Maybe, she could pick it like she did before when one of her dates left her handcuffed to the bed. It took her a few hours, but she was able to escape. She could have sworn JARVIS was laughing at her that night.

Fighting through the soreness of her bodies, she pulled herself into a sitting position and looked around. "What can I use escape this place?" On the dresser in a corner of the room, something caught her attention, but how could she get it? She was tied down.

Kicking off the blanket, Toni shuffled herself to the railing and felt for the leveler to release it. After a few minutes of struggling, she felt the leveler and pushed it in. The railing fell, pulling her down with it. Pushing herself up a little, she stared at the heart monitor. _Will these machine alarms go off if I pull these off my chest_? If they did, her escape would be blown, but she had to risk it.

After a few seconds, she pulled off the wires and watched the door. As soon as it was clear that no one was coming, she kicked her legs over the bed and stood up. "Fuck," Toni muttered, as she fell straight to the cold ground. Her legs hadn't been able to support her weight. She closed her eyes as pain sailed through her body.

Toni took a deep breath, because she knew she could do this. She had to do this, because if she didn't, she would be screw. Colonel Phillips would be back and he wouldn't be gentle. He wanted answer and he would do anything to get them. She didn't like that idea.

She studied the bed, which didn't have wheels. She would either need to detach the railing of bed or drag the bed, but the latter would be noisy. Someone would hear her and stop her, which she could not have. Laying down on her back on the floor, she fought her refax to jump up. Though her gown was covered more than it did in the future, the back of the gown was still open. _Stupid gowns,_ she thought.

Toni grimaced, forcing her broken arm to move. She wiggled her figures, making sure her hand was still working. Since they were, she knew she could still use them, even if she couldn't extend her arm. However, this bed was made better than she thought, and there was no way she could detached it with no tools.

She pushed herself onto her knees and stared at the photos on the bed. She needed to get the Device as she had to get it away from her father, who could be screwing it up. He would figure it out sooner or later, because of who he was. Sure, she had invented more items than he, but if he was in living in her time, there was no doubt that he would be taking her to school. And she hated that.

Taking a deep breath, she noticed the plug of the monitor. _I can use that,_ she thought. She reached for cord and yanked it, catching it in her broken arm. Using her nails, she had pulled apart the plug, so she would use the little wires inside. After freeing some of the wires, she turned her attention to the handcuffed. "Fuck," she muttered.

God was really playing a joke on her, wasn't he? It was going to difficult to pick fee her right hand, using her right hand, but she was going to try. After a few minutes of struggling with it, she had given up with her right hand. Passing the wires to her left hand, she hoped she could do this.

Holding still the handcuffed as best as she could, she struggled getting her left hand into the correct motion. After a few seconds, she took her arm out of the sling, which gave her more movement, but the cast was heavy and it hurt to hold in one place. Toni didn't have a choice; she had to do this and she had to do this now, because she didn't know when she would get another shot.

"Yes," she cheered as the handcuff fell from her hand. Giving standing another try, she pushed herself to her feet, and for a few seconds, she thought she was going to land back on her butt, but she didn't. She felt a breeze on her back as she walked toward the dresser. The thing turned out to be a pen, which could be helpful later if used correctly. "I have to do something about this gown thing."

Toni found another grown and put it on backward to cover her butt. She inched to the door, trying to hear if someone was outside the door. She couldn't hear anything from the other side, but she wasn't sure. The silence could be because there was no one else there or she just couldn't hear through the wall.

"Oh, shit," she thought as the door swung up.

The ugly nurse from before came walking to the room with a food tray. When she noticed the empty bed, she dropped the tray and food went everywhere. "Doc-"

She never finished her sentence as Toni grabbed her from behind. After scuffling for a few minutes, they both ended on the ground. "Calm down," Toni whispered as she rolled on top. She had been trained to defend herself, but it was challenging with a broken arm.

"Gua-"

The nurse tried to yell out for help, but Toni couldn't allow her to do that. She knocked her out using cast. "Urgh," she shrieked in pain. She stood up and glanced outside to see if anyone was coming. When she saw no one was coming, she closed the door and turned her attention back to the nurse. She started to undress the nurse. "Now, listen. I'm not going to mess with you. I just need the uniform so I can sneak out of here."

She took a deep breath. "It isn't that you're ugly….or wait it is," she chucked. She switched their clothes and walked out of the room with her head held up high.

* * *

Toni had been lucky lately, running in very few people who didn't pay much attention to her, but she didn't have much time. The medical staff and the military personnel would soon notice her disappearance or the screaming nurse, who would wake up soon. She needed to get out of this place before that, but this place was like a maze. She had no idea of where the front door was, and there was a good shot that they would find her before she made it.

Rounding a corner, she saw Colonel Salty speaking with Howard Stark, and she froze, unable to motivate herself to move. Howard, who looked different from what she remembered, appeared to be healthy and happy, which Toni couldn't remember in her time with him. He hardly showed a smile, and the last time she saw him, he looked worried and tired about something that Toni wasn't aware of. He didn't speak to her about his trouble.

Howard appeared to be in his early twenties, but Toni couldn't really guess his age without knowing the year. It had to be before 1943 as Steve Rogers wasn't Captain America yet. Her mind wandered to Rogers, who she would love to meet before serum. What would he be like? Would he still be a chauvinist ass? Okay, she knew he wasn't a total ass; he was a standup guy. And she knew he had been before the serum because Dr. Erskine wouldn't have picked him if he wasn't. Captain America couldn't be anything but great.

Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the two men in front of her, who had not notice her yet. She had to get away, before they did. If they did, she would be in handcuffs again, but she wouldn't be in a hospital bed. She would be locked in a cell, where the Colonel wanted her.

Keeping her head down, she walked down a different hallway. _How many hallways are there?_ She had to find the way out soon or she would be trouble. Even if she found the away out, there was no real way to know if she would be able to walk out the door. As she rounded another corner, big glass doors came into view, but Toni didn't have time to cheer as a blazing alarm sounded.

"Fuck," she muttered as the hallway was shadowed in red lights. "Calm down," she told herself. She fought the urge to run, because they would surely notice her running down the hallway. She was dressed as a nurse, someone who was supposed to be here. If she ran around without a head, they would know she wasn't the nurse and she was the escape prisoner. "Calm down."

Toni glanced around to see if anyone was looking at her, but no one was paying attention to her. They walked past her without a second glance. Taking this as a sign, she walked to the doors with a look in her eyes that said she knew what she was doing. When she reached the door, she took a deep breath. She was about to open the door, when she heard footsteps behind. She was going to ignore them, but the woman's voice stopped her.

"Turn around."

Toni's eye almost twitched as she was almost home free. She could almost taste it. _Balls._ She knew it wasn't the end as there was a chance she could talk herself out of this situation. She was a talker, just ask anyone. "Is there a problem?" she asked as she turned around.

There in front of her stood Agent Peggy Carter, a person that Toni recognized right away. Though she had only see Peggy a couple times after her father's death, she considered her very special to her life. Peggy was an important part to her childhood as she had kept her father in line, when she was round. Peggy, the lovable badass agent, wasn't around as much as Toni would have liked, but she was around enough to make a lasting image. She had that personality that anyone could like.

"Is there something wrong, Agent?" Toni asked as she raised her non-broken arm. Peggy had her pistol trained on her, and that was unsettling. Peggy was one of few people she could speak to growing up. "Is this about the alarm?" She had asked with the sweetest voice she could muster.

Peggy studied her. "Yes. A prisoner has escaped."

"Do you believe I'm that prisoner? That's crazy." The gun was still pointed toward her, but it wasn't going to make Toni sweat. This wasn't the first time she had a gun in her face and she knew it wouldn't be the last.

"Yes," Peggy asked without hesitation. "You are good actress."

Toni had a few options she could do, but she wasn't sure any of them would work. "No, I'm just a nurse," she stated, as she tried to look shaken up.

"Toni, why don't you make this easy?" she asked.

_Fuck_, Toni thought. She knew she was in trouble, because only Salty knew her name. Peggy must have spoken to him and she must have seen her photo. "I do not do easy."

Peggy looked her over as she took a few steps toward her with the gun still trained on her. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

"Like I can do much with this?" Toni stated as she tied to lift her broken arm. The very movement of her arm hurt. _Is that medication wearing off already?_

"You did beat up a nurse."

"I just knocked her out." Toni raised her right arm in a sign if surrender. "I didn't beat her up."

"You gave her a black eye."

Toni shrugged. "A black eye never killed anyone." She allowed Peggy to take her away, because she knew it was better than to fight with her. Even on her good day, Toni didn't stand a chance again Peggy, who could kick anyone's but.

* * *

I hoped you enjoyed this. Updated:6/11/13


	4. Fear of the Hero

Good Day all!

Here is the latest chapter. Sorry no Toni in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this, so please let me know what you think!**  
**

No, I do not own Avenger or make any money on it. I can wish though writ

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**Chapter 4: **

**Fear of the Hero**

* * *

As soon as Bruce had heard about Toni's disappearance, he had cut his trip short and returned to the tower as soon as possible. Toni, one of the few who understood him, was important to him and he would do anything to save her, and he wasn't alone. Anyone of the Avengers would do anything to save her.

Bruce, who looked like he had slept in days, was in Toni's lab, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. With the help of JARVIS, he was able to tell the device worked in an outward wave, affecting anything in its ten foot path. This had included Toni, and that made his heart stutter. JARVIS had informed him of what could happen to electronics and how they were unsure if the Arc Reactor would stand up against the Device. Why couldn't Toni wait for him? The answer was simple: she was a hard headed. He admired her for that, but at the same time, it annoyed the hell out of him.

He had studied the hole and watched the security footage. There was shock at first that JARVIS even allowed it as Bruce did not have the authority, but it seemed the AI cared about Toni's safety, even though JARVIS had no heart. The footage was all croppy and kept skipping, which He couldn't understand. JARVIS told him that there wasn't anything wrong with the video.

"How can that be?" Bruce asked. Toni kept jumping to different location.

"It is the device," JARVIS answered. Each time it went off, Toni's location jump jumped. "It is not the video, Sir. It is Miss Stark."

Shaking his head, Bruce took a deep look at the video. JARVIS wasn't going to admit there had been an issue with the footage; Toni must've programed some stubbornness into the AI. Bruce picked up the tablet and watched the footage again. He watched it a few times before he noticed the clock on the desk that Toni kept changing. "Why did she keep changing the clock?" he asked himself. It also wasn't jumping.

The footage had a time stamp on it, and that time stamp was correct. Bruce had watched it in right time, and he could tell the stamp was correct. So why was Toni messing with clock? He studied each time she changed the time. It was always after the wave. What did that mean? Why did she think the time was behind?

He watched the type again, but this time, he watched it 3 times its normal speed. He was studying's Toni's movement, as the jumpy footage was the key. "Could this even be possible?" he asked himself. That was the only answer possible; the Device was jumping Toni back in time.

"JARVIS, is it possible that the device could've sent Toni back in time?" It could be possible, if the right portal was created, and maybe that device did that.

"That does seem to be the case here."

* * *

Natasha wasn't a science genius, but she knew her way around computer. She had helped Bruce for a few hours before leaving with Clint. They had left to see Director Fury, who might be able to locate Toni. Director Fury had an uncanny ability to find anyone, and no one had any idea of how that was, but the Avengers weren't going to complain now. They needed to find one of their own.

Up in the penthouse, Steve was sitting at the bar working on the tablet, which he still struggled with. Steve didn't really understand modern technology, so he wouldn't be any help for Bruce. He didn't try to help because he knew it would be a waste of time. Unsure of what else he could do, he was looking through the security logs with the help of JARVIS, who was doing most of the work.

"I don't see anything," he stated in annoyance.

"There is nothing to see," JARVIS stated. "I have already studied the footage. There is no record of Miss Stark leaving."

"That can be altered," Steve replied.

"Anything can be altered, Captain, but this is not the case here. Only Miss Stark has the authority to alter my records, and she did not do so."

"Would you tell me if she did?" he asked. He wasn't sure what he was getting at, because there was no way that Stark could have altered it herself. Even if she did, why would she?

"It would depend on Miss Stark's instructions. I cannot go against her order."

"Understood," Steve stated, putting down the tablet. He stared off, thinking.

"Captain, Mr. Banner is on his way up to speak with you," JARVIS stated after a few seconds of silence.

That was one of the few things Steve liked about JARVIS as no one could sneak up on him, though it was hard to sneak up on him these days.

The door to the room opened to reveal a tired Bruce, who had a weird expression on his face. "Banner," Steve greeted. "Find something?"

"I think, but I need a drink first." Bruce walked to the bar and poured himself a whiskey, but that didn't last. He downed it in one slip.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked. He hadn't really seen Bruce drink, because there was always a fear that he could hulk out. "Are you sure you should be drinking?" Though he was a super soldier, there was doubt that he could stop the big guy.

"It's fine. I can handle myself." He picked up the bottle and poured himself another cup. "I think I know where Toni is."

"Where is that?" Steve asked; his heart picked up.

"I'm unsure of the time, but I'm positive that she's in the past." Bruce stared at his glass before taking another slip.

Steve looked at him with an eye brow raised. "Did something hit you in the head? Time travel? Are you reading a science fiction or something?"

Bruce looked long and hard at Steve. "Really? You're a super Soldier, I turn into a green beast when angry, and we're friends with a demi-god. And you stop at time travel? We aren't strangers to portals. Time travel would work along the same idea." He huffed in annoyance.

"I guess," he stated.

"I'm starting to believe Clint."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Believe Barton? With what?" he asked, annoyed.

"Don't worry about," Bruce waved off. He didn't need a pissed off Captain America, because they had other things to worry about. "I am not an expert in portals. I think we'll need help with this one."

"What time do you think Stark is in?" he asked. Worry was present in his tone as he said her name.

"I do not know, and that may be the problem." Bruce shook his head. There was no real way for them to know what time she was transported back to, and he knew that would be a major issue. How could they pick her up if they had no idea of where to pick her up from?

* * *

Director Fury was pissed. He was always pissed, but at this point, he was really pissed, and everyone knew it. Anyone who had any common sense stayed as far away from him as possible, and that was hard since they were flying in the air. One of this SHIELD bases had been broken into and they had no idea who had been able to break into the base. It seemed that the security system had been hacked, because there was no record of any unauthorized entry, and there had been. None of his techs had been able to figure out how. That really pissed him off. No one stole from him and got away with it.

He was going to ask the egoist Stark, the last resort, for help only to find that she had disappeared without a trace, and that didn't sit well with him. Sure, he knew she was working on something and the Avengers blamed her disappearance on that Device, but he wasn't so sure. It couldn't have been a coincidence that she disappeared on the same day that one of SHIELD's bases was broken into. He would get to the bottom of this.

But first, he had to speak with Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton. He had already spoken to them about the strange disappearance of Toni Stark, but they hadn't heard of break in yet. He wanted their opinion on the matter, because valued their opinion more than he let on.

Director Fury walked into small conference room, where Natasha and Clint were waiting. "Have you found anything out about Stark yet?" he asked the two assassins.

"No, but Banner is still looking for answers in Stark's lab," Natasha answered from the corner of the room.

"Do you think this could've been an outside attack?" Fury asked, waiting for the right moment to mention the security breach.

Clint narrowed his eyes. "I believe you do?" he asked, seated. "Did something happen?"

"Somehow, someone had broken into the base at Black Hawk," Fury stated. "There had been no footage or record of the unauthorized entry, but a few of our top secret items had been taken."

"And you think this has something to do with Toni's disappearance?" Clint asked.

"I do. With the items taken, it would've been possible for them to affect Stark's Device." Fury with his one eye was able to look at both Romanoff and Barton.

"Stark had once showed me the specs for her lab, and from what I could tell, she made that lab into a fortress. Nothing would affect her lab," Natasha asked. "Unless you found a way."

Fury took a deep breath. "We need-"

"Is this about how you think the Avengers are a National Security risk and you need a way to take each one of us down if needed?" Clint injected, bitterly.

Natasha took a glance at Clint as she knew he was insulted by that, but she understood where Fury was coming from. If anyone one of them decided to turn, there would be no one to stop them.

"Yes, and the items taken were specifically designed to take down Toni Stark and the Iron Man Suit," he stated with no shame. "And this is why I think these two things are related."

Clint was having a difficult time believing what he was hearing. "Really?" he asked, shaking his head. "Okay, let's look pass the weapons that you can use against the Avengers and look at the Device that Toni, herself, had made. It was that device that made Toni disappeared. What makes you think the items stolen did anything to her?" Clint was pissed and it was clear with each word he had spoken.

"We knew of the Device that she was working on and it was clear that the person who stole the weapons," he said slowly, unsure if he should use that word, "knew as well. Her unnamed Device worked through a wave, and we had a device that could have interrupted that." He wasn't going to go into detail about the device.

"Do you think it was an inside job?" Natasha asked. She didn't look pissed, which annoyed Clint.

"I don't know, but I can't be for sure. We have to keep it a possibility," Fury stated. "I had sent a message to Asgard for Thor, which wasn't something I wanted to do, but we will need his help for this. He should be able to help locate Stark and the missing weapons." He turned to the door and Agent Romanoff didn't stop him as he left.

Clint looked between the two. "Are we really not going to talk about the weapons you created to takedown the Avengers?"

"Barton, let it go," Natasha stated. "We have other things to worry about."

Clint looked between the two. "For now."

* * *

Steve was now located with Bruce down in the lab, where he was pretty much useless, but he had to do something as he would go crazy if he didn't. He was Captain America and he refused to stand on the sideline and do nothing. However, at this moment in time, he was pacing…which was doing nothing.

"Steve, calm down," Bruce stated, eyeing him from a workbench. "And stop eyeing the hole. It isn't doing any good."

"I can't help it. I have a teammate missing and there isn't anything I can do." He stopped and looked to Bruce, who was building something. "Have you heard from Barton and Romanoff yet?"

"JARVIS stated they are on their way back and Barton isn't happy about something."

"He isn't happy about a lot of things," Steve muttered, sighing. They hadn't talked much since the night Toni had disappeared, and it wasn't because they were worried about the lost genius. Hawkeye and Captain America worked well together in the field, but off the field, their two different attitudes didn't match well together.

Bruce rotated in the chair. "Neither are you. Do you want to talk about it?"

Steve turned to him and replied a little too fast, "I am happy, well happy as I can be with Stark missing."

"You can talk about it. There's nothing wrong with talking," Bruce stated.

"And we don't have time for this."

Taking a deep breath, Bruce spoke, "We do. There's nothing else I can do without Barton and Romanoff. They're being back supplies from SHIELD."

Steve took a seat the hole's edge and hanged his feet over. "I'm just worry about Toni," he stated at a few seconds of silence. He was staring at his hands, unsure of what to do with them.

"We're all worry about her."

"I feel like it's my fault."

Bruce stared at him for a few seconds before standing up and walking over to him. "How is this your fault? You didn't lock her in the lab and force her to work on that Device. You have no idea of what could've happen."

"But if it is. If I didn't get into a fight with her and force her back in here, she wouldn't have been working on it," he paused, "She wouldn't be in danger if I just left her alone. Her chest piece could be nonfunctioning right now, and it is my fault because I pushed her. I pushed the woman that I-" He stopped himself. He wasn't going to say it.

Bruce didn't push. "Toni is hard headed and this would've happened with or without you. She had been pushing herself to the breaking point before she met us and she'll be doing it after we leave."

Steve looked at from the corner of his eye. "Are you thinking of leaving?"

Startled at Steve's question, he didn't answer right away. "I'm not thinking of leaving. Toni is one of the few people, who I can be myself around, and I wouldn't give up that friendship."

"Then why did you state 'she will be doing it after we leave?'" Steve asked, studying Banner's face.

"You never know what will happen in the future," he stated, defending himself.

Steve took a deep breath. "I understand. Let's find a way so we can get her back."

Bruce looked back to his work desk, knowing he would do anything possible to get Toni back. "JARVIS, are Barton and Romanoff back yet?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Banner. They have just arrived on the helipad with the equipment you require."

* * *

Clint was still annoyed and it showed to everyone round. He so annoyed that he was willing to pick a fight with Captain Rogers just so he could have something to do, something else to think about.

"Barton, you need to calm down," Natasha stated as they walked down to the labs. They both had suitcases in their hands, and each of these heavy important equipment.

"How dare SHIELD think we are dangerous when they have weapons that can take each of us out?" he asked angrily. He picked up his speed in order to get the lab faster.

"It's understandable. Think about it."

Clint turned quickly and glared at her. "I have already, and I think Director Fury is an idiot. And don't try to make me see reason, because right now, one of our teammate is in danger because of him. If anyone happens to Toni because of Fury, I will never return to SHIELD," he snapped, turning away. "And then he can really count me of an enemy, as I will be coming for him." He tightened his grip on the metal suitcase.

Natasha walked behind him in silence, because there was no talking him down. He had to cool down on his own, and besides, she knew how he felt. Though Stark was a pain in ass, she cared about the genius and she would do anything to save her.

* * *

When they arrived at the lab, Banner with eyes on the lab's door was sitting in a chair waiting for them and Rogers with a hard expression was sitting on the edge of the hole. "About time," Banner stated as the assassins entered the room. "I was starting to worry about you guys."

"Director Fury wanted to speak with us about a theory." Natasha handed the suitcases to Banner, who took them both and placed them on the desk.

Bruce looked back and noticed the anger on Clint's face. "What's up with you?" he asked. "If you were the hulk, we would be in trouble." He kept back his laughter, but there was still a smile on his face.

Clint turned to him and explained the conversion that Natasha and he had with Fury. "I told Natasha this, but I will tell you this: 'If anyone happens to Toni because of him, I will never return to SHIELD.' They can consider me their enemy. I'm dead serious."

Steve looked up and eyed the archer. "I do remember him stating before that we were a security risk," he stated. His arms were folded across his chest as he recalled that conversion.

Bruce, who was taking deep breaths, sighed. "I still don't see how Captain America is a national security risk," he stated in annoyance. "And I would agree with Clint. I might have to reintroduce SHIELD to the big guy." He wasn't joking, and this tone told everyone this.

Natasha looked annoyed, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to piss at SHIELD, but she knew where they were coming from. Banner for example couldn't always control the Hulk and he could destroy a whole city, so SHIELD would need a way to stop him. Clint had turned on them already (sure not of his own will), but he had cause a great amount of destruction. With the Iron Man suit, it was possible for someone or something to take over it or recreate a suit like it, which had happen before. They needed something to stop a suit like that. However, that didn't mean she wouldn't let SHIELD have it if something did happen to Toni.

Steve ran his hand through his hair. "Let's get to work, and worry about SHIELD later. We need to find Toni." He crossed to the case and opened one of the case. He stared at the equipment, unsure of what any of really was.

Clint took a big breath. "Anyhow, Director Asshat sent a message to Thor."

"That might be helpful," Bruce stated.

"Why do you think that?" Natasha asked.

"I believe Toni's in the past and Thor has some sort of idea of portals," Bruce answered, as he walked back to the workbench. Running his hand through his hair, he took a deep breath. "That is how he travels home."

"Wait what?" Clint asked, shocked.

"What are you talking about?" Natasha asked with her eyes narrowed.

Bruce looked back and smiled lightly. "I believe that Toni transported herself into the past, but I'm not sure to which time period."

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I hoped you enjoyed this.


	5. The Silence of Time

Hello, I am back. :)

Same thing: I do not own Avengers or make money off this. I wish though.

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Chapter 5:

The Silence of Time

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There was a chill in the room and the thin fugly sweater Toni was wearing wasn't keeping her warm. Her hair was standing up on her arms and she had the Goosebumps. She had tried to adjust the sweater, but she couldn't with a broken arm and the other was handcuffed to table. She couldn't move her chair either as it was bolted to the ground, which annoyed her, but it didn't annoy her as much as _them_, the Colonel and company. Sure, she was their prisoner, but they couldn't or wouldn't get under her skin. She was tougher than some cold room.

Toni glanced around the room, looking for something that could help her, but she knew there wouldn't be anything. They had underestimated her the first time and she knew they weren't taking any chances now. They had locked her into a 10 by 8 ft. room and made sure there was nothing in her arm reach or even in the room that she could use. Across from her was a police style window, where she couldn't see through but they could see her. That pissed her off. She had been sitting in this freezing room with dim lights for hours, or what seemed like days, as they watched her. She knew they were waiting to see if they could break her, which was impossible. She wouldn't say anything.

The chair was the most uncomfortable chair on the planet and no matter which way she moved, Toni could not find a comfortable position. _I wish I could put my feet up,_ she thought as she couldn't t kick her feet up like she wanted. The pain, which was controlled by medication, was still present, and it was still bothersome, making it hard to think. She needed to have a clear made if she wanted to beat those asshats.

Toni glanced around the room, trying to clear to her mind from the pain. There was no window besides the police window, which made it hard to tell how much time had passed. There was a chair in the corner of the room, and it didn't appear to bolt like hers, which wasn't fair. Why does the interviewer get the free chair?

"Hello," she yelled, getting annoyed at the silence. She had enough of it; she wanted to talk to someone and make them cry, which was her specialty. She was known for getting under people's skin; just ask her team. She had gotten into fights with the other Avengers over her mouth. "Did you forget about me?"

There was no answer, and it pissed her off more. She hated sitting in dead silence not doing anything, because there was so much she could be doing. She had to work on her device or she would never get home, though there was no real chance she could get home. She had no idea of how she got to the past, but she needed to figure it out so she could get home before anyone realized who she was. It would be bad if they did. She would hate to see what her father would do if he learned the truth.

Toni stared at the window as if she could burn a hole into it. "Asshats!" she muttered. There was still no movement and she was left alone for an additional few hours. It was starting to get to her, which annoyed her. They would not take her at her best, but they had to weaken her before they went at her. How manly was that?

Leaning back the best she could, Toni wiggled in her chair. Maybe, she could sing something, because that would surely send them running in. She knew her singing sucked ass and it could shatter glass, though she would defend it if someone else tried to attack it. "I'm on the highway to hell-" she stated but she cut herself off after a few seconds. She couldn't sing that song or any song because they didn't exist yet and she couldn't sing a song that didn't exist yet. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she went through her memory banks. She couldn't think of any song from the 1940's and that annoyed her. How can Toni annoy them if she couldn't sing a song?

She guessed she could always make up a song, which could be worse. "Bored, Bored, Bored. What's a girl to do when she is cold and bored!" she sung at the top of her lungs. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "They leave me alone for what seems like days, and I think I could freeze to death, but boredom could be my death!" She could feel her throat start to dry, but she knew if they were listening, they would be in soon. They wouldn't be able to take much more of her horrible singing. "Silence of Death is almost upon us!" she let it go. "Bored leads-"

The door to the room started to open, silencing the loud genius. Mr. Salty walked in with an expression that someone just farted in his face, which made Toni chuckle. "Sound something smelly?" she asked with an annoying smile on her face. "Or that could be just your normal face!"

Colonel Phillips narrowed his eyes at Toni as he picked up the chair in the corner and placed it in front of the table across from her. "It could just be your horrible singing."

Again, she knew her singing sucked, but no one else was allowed to say. "I tried," Toni teased, as she studied him. Though she was unsure of the time-lapse since she last saw Salty, he looked older. "Did something happen, Salty?"

He looked at her. "My mother had always taught me to be respectful to ladies, and you make that difficult." He placed the thick folder he was carrying on the table. "Did your mother ever teach you matters?"

Toni's expression turned hard, as she heard him ask that. Though it wasn't a serious question or even a question about her identity, it cut her to the core. Her relationship with her mother was cut short by Maria's death, and it still hurt, knowing she wasn't able to learn from her. There were points where Toni wondered what her life would be like if she had a mother and wasn't alone with her father. "My mother died when I was young."

The look on the Colonel's face changed a little. "I am sorry."

Toni tried wave it off, but she was only able to move her hand a few inches off the table. "I'm not going to tell you anything, because I didn't do anything," she stated, changing the subject. She didn't want his pity and if she could move, she would throw something at him.

"You did attack a nurse and stole her clothes," he responded, eyeing her clothes.

She almost forgot she was wearing the ugly nurse's outfit. "I'm being held prisoner without just cause," she stated, glancing toward the window. She wondered who was behind it, but she was sure it was her annoying father and Dr. Erskine.

"I wouldn't say it was without cause," he stated as he opened the folder and revealed photos of her device, which was taken apart. There were wires connected to the device, trying to power it up.

"I've done nothing wrong, so I give me back my items and let me go," she demanded. She tried to cross her arms but couldn't thanks to the handcuff. "I've a right to design and invent advance technology." She forced her thoughts away from the Arc Reactor that Phillips was staring at. "They're my property."

"Ever heard of Eminent domain?" he asked.

Toni narrowed her eyes. "Yes, as only a complete idiot wouldn't know what it is. It's the power to take private property for public use by the government following the payment of just compensation to the owner of that property," she stated, annoyed. "However, I did not get paid nor are you using my device, which you had no idea what it is, for public use. Besides it's not the same kind of property; it's not land. Eminent Domain applies to land." She so needed to get out of here with her device, but she needed to find an escape, which would be hard. Maybe they would move her again and she would be able to escape from that cell.

"Your device could help the public."

"You just want to use it for your military, which I will not condone. I do not create weapons," Toni stated. She was retired from the weapons business and she refused to return, even if the unnamed device could be used as a weapon (if it worked like it was supposed to) and she had upgraded/designed better weapons for the Avengers. She would not create massive weapons anymore; Stark Industries was no longer making weapons. Howard Stark be damned.

"That is strange for a Spy to say."

Toni was sick and tired of being called a Spy; that was Romanoff and Barton's job. "How many times do I need to say it? I am not a spy," she snapped. She took a deep breath as she told herself to calm down. Her anger would get her nowhere. "Just let me go."

Salty looked at her. "Let's talk about this device and that thing in your chest. No one can figure out anything out about them, not even Mr. Stark and he is our weapons expert." The colonel spread the photos apart.

"As they are not a weapon, it would make sense a weapons expert would not know anything about them," Toni stated, narrowing her eyes at him.

The Colonel started at the Arc reactor, which didn't sit well with Toni. "It would be wise to cooperate with us. I do not wish to hurt a woman." He picked up a photo and stated at it. "I just need to know how this works and what exactly it does. When we found you, it appears as if the device exploded."

Toni didn't remember much about the device's explosion and she had no idea of what happened in the field. Her memories were shakily at best and she really had no idea of the power behind it. If she had to judge by her broken arm and swore body, it wasn't fun. "Afraid to hurt a woman?" she asked annoyed.

"Afraid No. I simply do not wish to. I don't believe like most that women belong only in the kitchen, and I do not agree with that simply because Agent Carter would shoot me," he stated. "But I do believe there are certain things that should never be done to a lady. They deserve respect."

It had always annoyed her that she was treated differently than men. "Let me tell you, I hate when people treat me with kid gloves. I'm just as good as any guy." She fought the urge to hit him, which she couldn't do any ways.

Phillips put down the photo. "I have no doubt you could talk circles around most man and could out smart anyone, but there are few areas that you cannot beat a man in." He leaned back and studied her.

Toni was petite, barely weighting 100 pounds, and was only about 5 foot 4 inches. In a physical fight with a man who would most likely be twice her size, she would most likely lose; however, her brain could even the playing field. "Don't count me out just yet," Toni replied. _Careful, Toni,_ she warned herself. _You don't have the Iron Man Suit._ "I can take care of myself."

He took a deep breath. "As you are here, I believe you have failed. Please, just cooperate. It would make things simpler." Colonel Salt stood up and stepped to the glass window. He stared through it as if he could see the person on the other side. "If you aren't a spy, what are you trying to hide?"

"I'm an inventor, just like your weapons expert. Would you ask him to tell you all of his secrets?" Toni asked. The questions that he was asking, Toni couldn't answer anyways. She knew what the device was supposed to do, but she had no idea of what it really did. It took her back in time, but she had no idea of how. What else did it do? Would it send her back to the future? She wouldn't know until she got it back. "If you did, I bet he wouldn't say anything as well." She knew her father well, and he would go to his grave before he revealed his company secrets.

The Colonel laughed. "You are correct."

"Will you still ask me to reveal my inventions, Salty?" she asked, eyeing the man. He had turned back to her.

Phillips cut back to the table in a sharp turn. "My name in Colonel Phillips. Please refrain from calling me Salty." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I trust Stark for the most part. I do not trust someone with no record. I cannot locate record of you existing."

Toni fought back her chuckle at finally annoying him, knowing it would be a bad idea. "Technology is not as good as it should be. Is it really hard to believe that you cannot find record of me?"

"No, but that's a warning sign." He walked to the door, leaving the photos on the tables. "We will talk later," he stated with a smile as he walked out of the room.

"See ya, Salty!" Toni yelled.

* * *

The colonel had left a few hours ago and Toni hadn't seen anyone since, which pissed her off more. Her back was starting hurt from the metal death trap, and she needed more pain medication. The pain had come back full force, and she was ready to snap. Plus, it was freezing in this room.

Her mind drifted to the conversion she had with the colonel and it had her worried. What would he really do to her? Would he really torture her? There weren't a lot of things that scared her, but the idea of being tortured scared her. She had suffered from water boarding and other torture techniques, and she didn't want to go back there, because she wasn't sure she could come back from it again. Just thinking about it got her heart racing.

"Calm down," she whispered to herself. If she let him get to her, it wouldn't help and they would win, which she couldn't allow. She couldn't let them get to her, because if they got power over her, it wouldn't be good. The more power they got over her the more they could break her. She needed to put distance between them so she could protect her secrets.

Toni thought she handled the Colonel well, and she knew she had annoyed him, which she smiled about. She didn't know if he would come back or if he would send someone else in. If Howard walked through the door and she had to speak to him, she didn't know if she could handle it without turning to violence. She didn't know if she would be angry or spineless, which was normal for her. He had a presence that could tear anyone one down. _He wasn't always like that_, she thought. It was a long time ago and it was hard to remember, but he was a nice loving father. She blamed the change on Rogers' disappearance and Maria's death.

She knew it was selfish to blame Rogers for it, but she did. He was part of the reason, because Howard couldn't get over his disappearance. If she had to judge it by the endless rambling of her father, she would assume that they had been close, which she was semi jealous of. She wished she had a close friendship with someone, which she didn't have. Sure, she was close to Pepper and Rhodey, but there were parts of her that she hadn't share with them and she wouldn't. She was too shame to let them. So she was jealous of Rogers, because he had a relationship with her father that she wished she had. He had seen a side of her father that she never saw.

After Roger had disappeared, Howard had put everything into finding the Captain and he kept looking when everyone else, even Peggy, had given up. Searching for countless years had drained him of everything and he didn't have anything else to give to Maria or her. Toni knew he loved them both, but he didn't show it. He was busy.

When Maria had dead, Toni could see the sudden change, and it hit her hard. Before her mother died, Howard, though distance, had let her in the lab, but after, he wouldn't let her in at all. He became a total asshole, or rather a bigger asshole than before. It almost broke her before she realized that she didn't need him or his love. She could and would make it on her own, because she was strong and she wasn't the weak girl her father thought she was. She was going to show everyone that she was someone. She wouldn't let anyone think she was worthless. She was Toni Stark.

Toni leaned back and stared at her broken hand. Why did she care what others thought of her? It didn't change who she was or what she was able to do. She was still Toni Stark, one of the greatest minds on the planet and she would be damn if she left others define her…._But you do! _ She argued with herself. There were a select few people could make herself feel like an idiot.

The door to the room opened again revealing the Famous Dr. Erskine, who wearing a white lab coat and glasses. In his hand, he had a clipboard with a collection of papers on it. She couldn't read what was on it from her location, but she knew it had to be about her. Who else could it be on? "Hello, Doctor," Toni smiled as he sat down across from her. He looked just like she remembered from the photos she had seen in her father's office.

Dr. Erskine sat the clip board down on the table and shifted through the papers. "How are you feeling? Any pain?" he asked as he reached in his pocket. "Should be time for another dose."

There was no doubt the pain medication had worn off as Toni was in some serious pain, but she got to thinking. Would it be a good idea to take meds from these people, who thought she was a spy? They could make her loopy and there was no telling what they could get out of her if that happened. "No, I'm good," she stated, eyeing him. "I won't tell you anything."

He looked at her. "You speak as if there is thing to tell."

He had an accent, which Toni of course knew of, but it caught her off guard. It made her feel like she could trust him…What was it about accents that drew people in? "I don't have anything to tell."

"Then what's with the nerves?" he asked as he sit the pill bottle on the table. "I am not here to interrogate you. I am simply here to check up on you." He smiled as he opened the bottle and slid it to Toni. "It will not hurt you."

Toni wasn't sure of that. "I'm fine. You can leave." She rested her broken arm on her lap while her right arm rested uncomfortably on the table as she was unable to move it.

Without a word, Dr. Erskine stood up and turned to the door.

"Wait, you're really leaving?" Toni asked surprised. She wasn't expecting him to leave so easy, and she kind of didn't want him to leave. She had been sitting in a room alone enough and she wanted something to do even if it was just staring at someone.

"I respect a lady's wishes," he stated as he turned back to her. He held the clip behind his back. "You did ask me to leave. I will not impose myself on you."

Toni took a deep breath, knowing she should let him leave. The Colonel, who knew what he was doing, probably sent him in to get her to speak, because Erskine had a friendly face. Though it wasn't often, the Captain in her time had only good thing say about the Doctor. "Then you should let me go?" she asked.

The good Doctor walked back to the table, taking a deep breath. "You have to understand the situation that you're in." He retook the seat. "You were found trespassing in an empty lot, which looked like an explosion happened."

Toni narrowed her eyes. "If an explosion really happened, I wouldn't just have got a broken arm." Though her memory of that night was hazy, she wouldn't describe it as an explosion. There wasn't a hole in the ground. There wasn't anything in pieces besides the pieces from her time. Everything just looked like it fell from a great height. Either way, how was she even alive? "And it wasn't like I did it on purpose," she stated. She didn't even know how she did it.

"There's also the fact that you were found with two unknown devices," Dr. Erskine stated. "Very interesting devices I must say." He was stated at the glow under her shirt, which Toni noticed. "It's fascinating that you would intergrade the device into your chest."

"It wasn't a choice," Toni muttered. Though she was thankful to the device which saved her life, the device had caused her so much pain. It had almost killed her. He stared into her eyes and she knew he could see the pain in her eyes. "Without it, I will die," she muttered again.

Erskine looked at her. "What does it do?" he asked.

"It protects my heart," she answered, slowly. It was silence for a few minutes as no one spoke. Toni didn't want to say anything and Erskine was giving her time to think in case she did.

"It is cold in here, isn't it?" he asked, looking down to the opened pill bottle that hadn't been touched by Toni. "You should take one. I can see you are in pain."

He was correct; she was in pain, but she wasn't going to take them. She had experience worse pain before and this time was nothing like that. She had experience waterboarding, which was something she didn't want to relive. However, her mind liked to drift to that feeling of drowning, to that feeling of no control. She shook her head. This pain was just annoying and she could deal with. "I'm good," she grumbled.

He looked at her. "You've faced a lot in your life, haven't you?"

Toni could feel her eye twitch as he saw right through her. "I have, but that doesn't matter here." She looked pass Erskine's head and at the glass, wondering who was watching now.

"So are you going to tell me how it protects your heart?"

Something in her mind snapped as Toni realized who she was talking to. He wasn't her friend; he was friends with Colonel Salty, who wanted her secrets. "Nice try, but I won't tell you anything," she responded, knowing it was already too late. She stated too much.

"I wasn't trying to get anything out of you, Toni. I was making sure you're okay."

Toni narrowed her eyes. She hated when people checked up on her, and it just made her want to punch something. "I'm fine. You can go tell Colonel Salty that."

Erskine picked up the pill bottle and put the cap back on. "Against popular belief, I do not have the same ideals of Colonel Phillips." He stood up and picked up the clip board. "I do not believe you are a spy." He walked toward the door and stared back at her before leaving.

Again, she was alone and this time she wondered how long it would be this time. She didn't know how much longer she would last in this painful cold room.

* * *

For the last three hours, Toni had been pulling at the handcuffs to the point that her wrist was bleeding, but she didn't stop. She kept pulling, knowing this was her chance to escape. If they had been watching her, they would've come running it._ You know you're being stupid, right?_ She told herself. Even if she was able to escape the room, there was no way she could make it out without anyone noticing. She was being held by the military not some Joe. Sure they weren't as advanced as they were in her time, but they still weren't a force to be messed with. However, Toni loved to take stupid risks, and she didn't care if it got her in trouble. She didn't care if it put her in hot water with her team or not. She didn't care if she got yelled at by Rogers. It just meant she did her job.

_Maybe, I can slip my hand out of if I dislocate my thump, _she thought, but she disregarded that thought. If she did that, she would have two worthless hands, and she needed at least one working hand. _Maybe, I should just stay still and wait to see what will happen._ She knew if she tried to escape it would make her look guilty, and that wouldn't help her. If she wanted to get out of here and back to her device, she would need to them to let her go.

Toni laid her forehead on the cold table and closed her eyes. She knew it was stupid to fall asleep in a cold room, but it was easier to think. As soon as she got out of here, she would hack into Stark and the Military computers to look for her device, which shouldn't be an issue for her. Granted, she didn't know what kind of computers they had back in these days, but she was a genius. She could hack into anything.

It was freaken freezing in the room, which made Toni want to beat someone. Did they really think they could get her to talk to them when she was frozen to the death? She didn't think so. They could just send the Doctor in, who seemed to be able to get through her defenses. _I wonder who they would send in next._ If they sent in her father, it wouldn't be pretty. She would find some way to hit him with a chair or something. She knew she couldn't kill or maim him, because that would miss up the timeline and stuff, and she would like to be born.

"Are you awake?"

Toni jumped, not hearing that someone had entered the room. She looked up to see Agent Carter walk toward the table and sat something down. She didn't say anything as she reached over Toni and unlocked the handcuffs. "Do you want medical attention for that?" Peggy asked as handcuff fell from Toni's bleedy hand.

"No, I'm good." Toni eyed Peggy as she stepped away. "What's going on? Where are we going?" she asked.

Peggy slid a bag toward Toni. "You are free to go. Here are your things."

"What?" Toni asked shocked. She reached to the bag to find the clothes, where were muddy and had small holes, in them she had been wearing when she first arrived. Her cell phone, to her surprise, was also in the bag. _I wasn't expecting to see this again_, she thought. Her unnamed device was not in the bag, which pissed her off. "Why are you letting me go? And where is my device?"

Turning her back on Toni, Peggy walked to the door. "Come with me. I will show you out."

"Where's my device?" Toni snapped, shooting to her feet. It felt good to stand after being force to sit for countless hours, and she had no desire to sit again for a while.

"Stark has it, and you're not getting it back."

"Why is that?" she hissed as she gripped her smart phone in her hand. They had given her everything back except the thing she wanted and needed. "Why give me back everything else but that?"

Peggy turned back to her. "We have deemed the two items safe. We cannot do that with the other device."

_Idiot_s, she thought. They were wasting their time on a device only she could fix, and it almost made her laugh, because right now, her Arc Reactor posed more danger to them than a broken device, which they couldn't even began to power. "You deemed an unknown communication device that I could be using to transmit secrets safe, but yet, a broken device, which Stark can't even turn on, unsafe. Wow, you guys are stupid," Toni stated, picking up the bag and walking out the door. She didn't even wait for Peggy, when she had other things to do. She would get her device back because Howard Stark had nothing on her hacking skills.

"You should watch what you say," Agent Carter stated as she walked out of the room. "And the exit is this way." She turned to the left and waved Toni to follow her.

Toni knew that Peggy was correct because she should be careful with what she said as she was being watched. She could land herself in trouble, which she needed to avoid; however, she sucked at that. She wouldn't keep her mouth shut to save her life. "Why are you letting me go?" she asked, curiously. "Did Colonel Salty change his mind? He thought I was a spy, a danger."

Peggy glanced back at the use of the word Salty. "He still does, but Dr. Erskine doesn't think so. He believes you are no threat."

Toni wondered for a second if they would've yet her go if she was male, but that didn't matter. She didn't have time to think about shit like that, when she had to get home. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's not my place. I am only following orders," she stated.

That was why Toni could never join the military; she couldn't blindly follow orders or remain silence when she had something to say. It was a wonder that she worked so well with the Avengers…well it depended on who was asked. Captain America might disagree with that, as they were always fighting over something.

"Here, we go," Peggy stated as they walked out onto the streets.

"Where are we?" Tony asked as she didn't recognize anything.

Peggy looked at her as if she was crazy. "Do you not recognize the streets of New York?"

That took Toni back because there were no bright colors or no flashes ads like in her time. She felt so out of place in this city as there weren't anything that reminded her of her time. Was this how Rogers felt when he realized that he wasn't in his New York and he was asleep for 70 years? Did he feel alone and that he didn't belong? Was he still feeling that? Toni never really thought about what he was feeling or how it was like to lose everything that she ever cared about. She knew Peggy was still alive in her time, but he wasn't going to contact her. He was too much of a gentleman and he was going to allow her to die in peace.

"I-" Toni started as she turned around. Peggy was gone and the doors were seal shut, leaving Toni all lone in the old fashioned New York. She wasn't scared, but this was a whole different world than what she was used to.

With the bag in her hand, Toni, still in the fugly nurse Uniform, walked down the streets heading toward the location of Stark Industries. She did her best to ignore the cold that was nipping at her and the fact that after she stole her device back there was nowhere she could go. She had no money or resources; what was she supposed to do? Toni wasn't sure, but she knew what the first thing she had to do: she had to get the device. After that, she wasn't sure.

* * *

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! :) Until next time. Update: 6/11/2013


	6. Prediction

Hola.

Just in an updating mood.:) I am usually slow updater.

I Hope you like this

I do not own Avengers... don't sue me.

* * *

**Chapter 6: **

**Prediction**

* * *

Colonel Phillips didn't know what he thought about the woman with no last name, but he knew he didn't trust the shit she was spouting. He knew there was something odd about that woman and he was going to find out what it was. He didn't know what he was going to do just yet as he didn't want to hurt her. It went against his being to interrogate a lady with force, and no matter how much Toni pissed him off, he wasn't going to.

He watched from behind the glass as the Doctor spoke with her. Erskine had a way about that him that could get anyone to trust him, even with the accent. He wasn't skillful in interrogations as he had a bleeding heart, which wasn't a good thing; however, it seemed to be working. Toni was speaking with him, which was something Phillips wasn't able to get her to do. She was letting her shield down with him.

"It will not hurt you," Erskine stated.

Phillips eyed the pill bottle that Toni had refused to touch. That told a lot about the woman, who no one knew anything about. It showed that she didn't trust people, granted he understand her situation. He wouldn't trust anyone either if he was handcuffed to a table in a locked room, but there was something else there. He could see that in her eyes. He doubted she truly trusted anyone in her life, which stroked him as odd as even a spy needed trust. She must have seen or been through something in her life.

He was being to wonder if she really was a spy, but even if she wasn't, she sure was something. A normal citizen did not have unknown devices on him or her that could keep the U.S. Military guessing, and the colonel did not care for that.

The Colonel kept his eyes on Toni as she spoke, "I'm fine. You can leave." He could see her shift in pain and it pulled at his heart strings as he disliked seeing a lady in pain. But there was nothing he could do.

He turned his attention back to Dr. Erskine, who had a calculating side to him and he knew when to push and when not to push.

"Wait, you're really leaving?" Toni asked as he crossed to the door.

"I respect a lady's wishes," the doctor stated as he turned back to her. "You did ask me to leave. I will not impose myself on you."

Phillips kept back his snort in annoyance as Erskine was able to get her. "Figures," he muttered to himself. "Though, it seems that the silence could've been getting to her." He knew she would have spoken soon enough because the silence was maddening,

"Then you should let me go?" she asked.

"You have to understand the situation that you're in." He retook the seat. "You were found trespassing in an empty lot, which looked like an explosion happened."

Phillips watched Toni's expression to see if he could read her. It appeared she was a master in hiding her emotions, but she had a few tells. He could see the worry and fear in her eyes.

"If an explosion really happened, I wouldn't just have got a broken arm. And it wasn't like I did it on purpose," Toni she stated.

"There's also the fact that you were found with two unknown devices. Very interesting devices I must say," Erskine stated. "It is fascinating that you would intergrade the device into your chest."

The Colonel, as well, was interested in that, because he couldn't think of anything reason why someone would want a glowing object in his or her chest. What could that device possible do that would make it worth putting it in her body? As it was placed near her heart, it had to have been dangerous to intergrade into her body. He guessed it had to do what that reactor did.

"It wasn't a choice," Toni muttered. "Without it, I will die."

Phillips knew, due to her freak out earlier, that taking it out would kill her, but her statement got him wondering. Did something force that device on her? Or did something happen to her that forced her to take it? He guessed it would have to do with what it did. Did it keep her heart beating like pacemaker did? If it did, why would a young thing like her need one of those? However, it might not have anything to do with her heart. Maybe it had to do with her blood. She might have been poisoned and that device kept her blood clean. Or maybe, it kept her safe from someone. He didn't know what it did but he was going to find out.

It would be dangerous to let her go without knowing all of her secrets. The idea that she was a spy was less plausible now, but Toni could still be dangerous to the public. She could still be a terrorist or criminal, which was almost as bad.

Erskine looked at her. "What does it do?" he asked.

"It protects my heart," she answered, slowly.

_Protects your heart?_ The Colonel thought about that for a while as it had answered one of his questions. If it was protecting her heart, her heart mustn't be the problem. There had to be something inside her that was attacking her body.

"It is cold in here, isn't it?" Erskine asked, after a few minutes of silence. "You should take one. I can see you are in pain." He offered her the pills again.

There was no way Toni would touch those pills and the Colonel knew this. If she had been poisoned and that device was blocking out the poison from entering her heart, he knew she would not touch it. _Was that why she didn't trust anyone? _He asked himself_._ It didn't matter the reason why, because she wouldn't take anything from anyone.

"I'm good," she grumbled.

Phillips took a deep breath and crossed to the corner table. He wouldn't admit it, but Toni's pain was getting to him. He disliked seeing anyone in pain, but there wasn't anything he could do for her. She was the reason why she was in pain, and he couldn't do anything for her until she admitted the truth. "Just tell us everything and this all can be over," he stated, knowing no one could hear it.

"You've faced a lot in your life, haven't you?" Erskine stated, seeing through her worry like Phillips had done.

"I have, but that doesn't matter here."

That statement stroke Phillips, because she sounded broken. What had she gone through to make her like this? He wasn't sure.

"So are you going to tell me how it protects your heart?"

"Nice try, but I won't tell you anything," she snapped. Phillips had noticed the change in Toni as Erskine spoke to her. The time in that room was getting to her; silence could be one of the most dangerous tools in an interrogation.

"I wasn't trying to get anything out of you, Toni. I was making sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. You can go tell Colonel Salty that."

He had no idea why she kept calling him Salty but it was pissing him off. That wasn't his name and she should respect him enough to call him by this name, considering it was up to him if she would be freed. "She has a mouth on her," he stated, annoyed.

"She seemed to be an impressive woman," Agent Carter stated as she entered the room.

"I wouldn't say impressive. Maybe, you should check your dictionary," the Colonel stated as she turned to her. "She's a criminal."

"We do not know that yet," Peggy responded, eyeing Toni. "And you don't think she is a spy now?" She leaned against the glass, watching Erskine leave.

Phillips turned his attention back to Toni, who had started to pick at her cast. He could see in the muscles in her mind work as she stared blankly at the one-way mirror. "Where did the Doctor go?"

Peggy crossed to the door and looked out. She didn't see him in the hallway. "He must've gone back to the medical bay for something." She stepped away from the door and toward the Colonel. "How long are you going to keep her in there?" she asked, knowing how long she had been in there.

"I'm not sure yet. I'm pondering what I want to do with her," he stated. "Did Stark figure out any of those devices yet? Any idea on that chest piece?"

"No, though, he can tell it gives off power and it can be used as a power source but other than that, he can't really know what that thing in her chest does until he takes a long at it."

"He won't be able to do that," Phillips stated as he stared at the glow coming through the nurse outfit. He almost did a doubt take as the glow seemed different, almost lighter. He hoped the battery wasn't dying on it. "It could kill her." Though he couldn't be sure she was telling the truth, he didn't want to risk her death.

"If she is telling the truth," she stated, unsure of the girl. "He did agree though that it would be risky."

"And the other devices?"

Peggy reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag, which held Toni's communication Device. "This device is no longer in working order. Though it doesn't look like it, Stark stated the core and the battery were cooked by some kind of wave." She looked it at before offering it to him, but he didn't reach for it.

"Is it fixable?" he asked, still eyeing Toni, who had rested her head on the table. _I wonder what she's thinking about,_ he thought. She was probably thinking of a plan to escape but there was no way that she could. This facility was impossible to escape.

"According to Stark, the core and battery are fried and it would be nearly impossible to fix. Then he joked like egoist person that he is, that only a Stark would be able to fix it," she stated annoyed.

"Can he fix it?" the Colonel asked.

Peggy laughed. "No, I don't think he can, but he keeps insisting with time, he would be able to." She glanced at Toni who had picked her head back up and was glaring. It was clear she was restless and annoyed. "However, he is too busy trying to figure out the other device that was found with her."

"Did he get anywhere with it?"

"He's having a difficult time getting power to it to see what it is supposed to do. Every time he gets any power to the device, it burns out everything connected to do it. Either he can't find enough power or there is short in the device and it is overloading everything around it," Peggy stated. "If only, we can get her to talk. That device could be useful against Hitler."

Remembering an earlier conversion he had with Toni, Phillips knew she wouldn't allow them to use it as a weapon. "If she's telling the truth, she won't allow it. She states she doesn't and won't make weapons."

"If she doesn't consider it a weapon, what does she consider it? I think Stark mention that if he isn't careful, it could seriously hurt him."

"Sometimes, the best weapons weren't created to be weapons." He turned to the door. "Let's go find Doctor Erskine and Mr. Stark, and I want to speak with both of them."

"About what, Sir?"

"What we should do with the woman."

* * *

When Peggy and Phillips arrived at the labs, they found Dr. Erskine speaking with Howard Stark. Toni's device laid on the table opened with wires attached to it, and each wire was burnt. Tools were spread around table as Howard couldn't locate the tool he wanted. Erskine was staring at blueprints that Howard had drawn up, trying to figure out what the device was supposed to.

"Dr. Erskine," Colonel Phillips spoke as he walked into the room. "I was looking for you." Peggy moved in quietly behind him, almost unnoticed. "I wanted to speak with you about your conversion with Ms….Toni," he stated, annoyed he didn't have a last name to refer to her as.

The Doctor stepped away from the table. "I wanted to take another look at the chest piece's blue prints before speaking with you." After studying and scanning the rector, Stark, with the help of Erskine, had drawn out a basic design. They would not know what it did until they took a real look at it. "As I now know its prime function, I can better understand it," he stated.

"And have you found anything out?" Peggy asked from her spot against the door.

Howard turned toward them. "That chest piece works like an electromagnet though I cannot tell what is powering it. It's nothing like I had seen before. I won't know what that is unless I take it a part but I doubt _she _will let me do that as it is keeping her alive." He leaned against the table with his arms folded against his chest. "As for the other device, I do not have a clue. It keeps, for lack of a better work, eating all the power I supply it and spitting it back out, violently."

Peggy had seen the wires and heard what he had stated before but she didn't think it was that bad. "Violently?"

Howard stuck out his left hand and showed them. It was burnt. "I'm starting to think it has a mind of its own and it hates me, which is impressive as no one or thing hates me."

The Colonel took a deep breath as this was one of the reasons why he hated dealing with Stark. He couldn't stand his pride. "For someone who just got schooled by an unknown woman, you sure have an ego."

Both Peggy and Erskine almost choked keeping back their laugher. "He's a Stark for you," Erskine smiled.

Ignoring the Doctor, Howard glared at Phillips. "Let me talk to her. I'll get her to talk."

"No, I do not think that would be a good idea. She doesn't like you and I don't want to alienate her more," Phillips stated as he crossed to the other side of the table to look at the designs. Peggy followed slowly behind him. "So what did you do to anger her?" He didn't think they had even met, but they didn't have to meet for Toni to dislike Stark. Howard Stark was the CEO of Stark Industries and a leader in the weapon business. "Break her heart?" he joked. She had stated she didn't make weapons. Maybe, she hated wars and violence.

The weapon expert turned to Phillips, who staring at him with a smirk. "I have been with so many petty dames that it is hard to remember all of them," he joked back.

Peggy sighed. "I do not want to know about your exports."

Howard smiled his cheesy smile at her before turning back to the Colonel. "Though I believe I would've recognized a spicy brunette like Toni." His smile had turned creepy a little. "Or at least a dame with a glowing chest."

The Colonel let out a sigh as Stark was very annoying. "Let's get back to business," Phillips ordered. "I do not think it would be wise for you to speak with Toni."

"What are you planning to do with her?" Erskine asked. "Are you going to speak with her again?"

"No," he stated. "She will not open up or reveal anything to us."

Peggy glanced at Phillips. "She did admit something about the rector to Dr. Erskine. She might slip up again."

Erskine looked down at the blue prints. "It protects her heart, and we now know how. The rector is keeping something out of her heart and I don't think she will admit what or why." He took a deep breath. "That's what is worrying me."

"That's why I'm letting her go," the Colonel stated, surprising everything in the room.

"I do not believe that would be wise," Erskine stated.

"I thought you would have agreed with this, Doctor," Phillips stated.

Erskine was silent for a few minutes. "I do not believe she is a spy for Hitler, but we cannot be sure she is not a criminal or a danger to the city."

"I agree with you."

Howard looked at Phillips and wondered what he was up to, but it was not his place as he was just the weapon expert. Peggy wanted to say something, but she knew it was best not to fight the colonel.

"Then why are you letting her go?" Erskine asked.

Phillips stepped away from the table and walked to the door in silence. As he reached the door, he turned around and spoke, "You cannot judge a person when she knows you are watching. It is when she thinks no one is watching that you judge. We will see who she is then."

"You're going to have someone follow her?" Peggy asked.

He smiled. "Of course. Agent Carter, please return Ms. Toni's items, beside that thing, to her and release her." He turned leave but he paused as he opened the door. "Mr. Stark, you can take the device with you. I would think your personal lab is better equipped to handle that than ours."

"You know she's going to ask for it," Peggy stated, playing with the unfixable communicate device.

"I know she will, and you will tell her Stark has it."

Howard narrowed his eyes. "Telling her that I have it would only send her to me to steal it back." He took a long look the Colonel and he could see it in this eyes. "But that seems to be what you what."

Erskine's eyes widened as he realized Phillips plan. "If she does try to break into Stark Industries, we would know the truth and will have grounds to hold her. If she doesn't, we will know that she is not a threat."

"She doesn't stand a chance against my Security," Howard stated.

"You shouldn't underestimate your opponent, especially when she had already outsmarted you twice," Erskine stated, looking at the devices on the table and in Peggy's hands.

Howard simply glared.

"You're counting on her doing as you plan but you don't know if she will," Peggy stated. "Why would she risk it for a broken device? If she is really as smart as she wants us to believe, she could just make a new one."

"I don't think it's unfixable and if it was, that doesn't change the importance of it," Erskine stated as he picked up the device. The burnt wires still hanged from it. "She wouldn't be making a big fuss about it if she didn't need it for something or if she could make a new one."

"And I know she will go for it. I can see it in her eyes," Phillips started. "Once she is caught, she won't be able to talk her way out of it."

Howard took a deep breath. "She might be telling the truth that there's nothing to hide."

"Either way, we will know," Phillips responded.

* * *

It was stupid he knew, but he couldn't just sit around while others died for their country. However, there wasn't much more Steve Rogers could do as he failed at his second attempt to enlist. He wasn't going to give up, even it was hopeless. He knew no one was going to want him, a frail man, who couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, and he hated that. He hated that he couldn't help his country, that he was too weak to do anything. He wished he could do something to help his nation.

"Am I good for anything?" he asked himself, as he just passed another alley that he was beaten up. "You did save that girl," he told himself, remembering the woman he found in the empty lot a week ago. He hadn't seen a woman so injured before that he didn't know if she would survive. "I wonder if she's okay." After she was taken away, he hadn't seen or heard from her. He had tried calling the locate hospitals to make sure she was okay, but there was no record of her at any of the hospitals. That worried him, but that didn't mean anything bad happened to her.

Bucky already thought he was crazy as he kept trying to enlist, but if he knew that Steve was obsessing over a woman, who he didn't know, he would make him check into a mental hospital. He didn't understand why Steve was going through or what he was thinking. Bucky was a big and strong man, who anyone would want, unless him, who struggled to even open jars.

Steven took a deep breath as he recalled the events from the day he found the woman. Just moments before he found her, he was laughed out of the recruitment office for the first time. Yes, laughed at, because no one could understand why anyone like him would want to enlist. He could hear the whispers from everyone, teasing that he could be killed with a look, and that hurt. It wasn't like he cared what other thought, but these insults hurt because he thought the same thing. "Can't think like that," he told himself. Like he was doing now, he had taken a long walk in the cold that night; however, he doubted he would come across a bleed woman again. God, he hoped not. He didn't need to be worrying about two unknown women.

Finding her was pure luck, because he almost walked right past the empty lock trying to forget his failures. She had been crying out for help but neither he nor anyone around him could hear her in all the noise. It had been a loud night that day in New York and her cries couldn't be heard over the music and loud voices. If it wasn't for the small cat, which he chased into the lot, trying to save from the cold, he would have never found the girl.

That image of her was forever burned into his mind. At first, he was surprise she was alive because she was covered in blood and bruises. It was also freezing, and it was wonder she was still alive in this weather. For a brief second, he wonder how she got here, because there was no signs she was dropped here by someone or that she was here for long. The cold would have surely killed her if she was other long than an hour.

Steve paused, closing his eyes, and took a deep breath. He was a gentleman, and he hated to see any dame in pain. Just by touching her, he could see that she was in extreme pain, and there was nothing he could've done for her a part from getting help.

"Who are you?" he asked. He remembered lowering himself down to her and being shocked at seeing something glowing under her shirt. He wasn't sure what that was, but it peaked his interest. What could possibly be glowing under her shirt? At that moment, he couldn't spend too much time on that as he had to save the woman. However, after making sure she was alright, his mind went back to the glow. He had mentioned the glow to the authorities, who stated he was imaging it. There was no glow. He dropped it, because they were probably right. Why would her chest be glowing? Even if it was, there was probably a reasonable explanation to it.

"And how did you know my name?" he asked, remembering her calling out to him. Taking a deep breath, he shook the memory as it was pointless. He would probably never see her again.

"It's cold. I should get home," he told himself. Bucky was probably worried about him, and he knew his best friend well enough to know that he would come looking for him if he didn't show up soon. Bucky also knew what he was up to, so he was already worried about Steve's sanity.

As he rounded the corner the cornered, he noticed a woman, which was because she wasn't wearing a jacket. "Is she insane?" Steve asked himself. Just to make sure she was okay, he approached her, and to his shock and surprise, it was that lady. "Hey!" He picked up pace.

The woman turned to him with a surprise expression. "Rogers?"

Steve stared at the girl. _How does she know my name?_ He wondered again.

* * *

:) I wasn't going to add Past Steve into this chapter but I decided to do so at the last second.

And I can't wait until May for Star Trek 2, Iron Man 3, and Fast & Furious 6...The only reason why I watched the Superbowl. ha ha.

Updated: 6/11/2013


	7. Freezing Loneliness

Not much to say. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Sorry for the wait.

I do not own anything Marvel related and I do not make any money off this, though I wished I did. :)

* * *

Chapter 7:

Freezing Loneliness

* * *

It was a very cold day and Toni was learning this the hard way. Yes, when Agent Carter escorted her out, she knew it was cold, but she didn't expect it would be this cold; she could see her breath. She had wished she had a coat, because this sweater wasn't keeping her warm. Though she knew, she should be grateful that they let her keep it as she did steal it from a nurse. It did provide her some protection that her regular clothes would not have given at all. Her simple black shirt wouldn't do anything but draw attention.

Toni couldn't guess what day or month this was, because one, she didn't know how long she had been out and two, she wasn't sure how time travel worked or how far she back. She could have gone back 75 years or 75.23 years; she didn't know, and she had no clue how to find out without looking like an idiot, not that she didn't already look at one.

Right now, she looks like a chicken without a head. Normally, she knew New York City like the back of her hand, but at this moment, she was completely lost. The whole city was different and she couldn't find her away around to save her life, but more importantly, she was unable to locate her father's building. Maybe that was for the best, because there was no way for her to sneak into that company. There were other things against her at the moment, which pissed her off.

Toni glanced down at her broken arm, as it was useless. Even if she was able to hack into that company, it would only slow her down and probably get her caught, which was something she couldn't afford. It would also be very stupid to rush into it without a second thought, and Toni Stark was not stupid. There was no telling what kind of defenses her father had, but she knew it had to be excellent for the time even if it couldn't compare to her time; however, she knew her father would probably fight her on that.

"I don't know if Peggy was telling me the truth. It could be a trap," she reasoned. If they wanted to catch her in the act and have a reason to hold her, that would be the way to go. "And how would I even know if he's in New York?" Stark Industries had offices across the country (even the world) and Howard had many hidden labs that Toni couldn't begin to locate even with the future knowledge she had. So she could be risking her future to break in for a device that wasn't even there, and she wasn't sure she wanted to do that.

She needed a plan and she would come up with a plan before she tried anything. Or at least, wait until her broken arm wasn't useless…. _That could be months_, she thought to herself. Could she wait that long? The longer she waited the more damage she could be doing to the timeline, which she couldn't have. She would like to be born and the tiniest thing could change that.

However, besides aside, she had other more practical things to worry about like where she was going to stay. It was freezing and she wouldn't last long out here for long, but she had nowhere to go. She had no money on her to rent a room and there was no one she could turn too. She had no friends in this time that could take her in.

Toni paused as she thought about her situation, which had never happened to her before. Toni Stark was never without means or opportunity in her life, and now, she had nothing. She was stuck with no money, and it pissed her off. How did anyone get along in life with no money? She couldn't even afford to buy something to eat and food was such much cheater in the 1940's. "Stupid Stomach," she muttered to herself as it was growling. "Come to think about it, I don't remember the last I ate." Sure, she had gone days without eating, but she always had the ability to get food. Now, she couldn't. She didn't like that feeling, and she didn't know how anyone could deal with that feeling.

She would admit that she was spoil brat going up (Some would say still), although she would deny that to Rogers. Every desire (besides her desire to feel her father's love) she had was fulfilled, and every worry she had been taken care of. She didn't have to worry about how she would pay her rent, put food on the table, or going to last the week. She knew she was very lucky to be born a Stark, but that didn't mean she wasn't relearning how lucky. For that, she was very thankful for her father.

"What am I to do?" she asked herself, holding her cold self. Trying to keep herself warm, she kept walking and every few steps, she would hop. If she could get past her pride, she would try to find a homeless shelter for the night, but she had no idea of where to locate one. There was no internet to Google homeless shelter, but she supposed she could not be lazy and use a phone book, which she hadn't used in ages. Did she even remember how to use one? Did they even have payphones?

Maybe, she could lift someone's wallet from them…._I can't do that to some poor bastard, _she thought after thing about it. She couldn't do that to someone, even if she was heartless bitch, because they probably needed it for his family, who would probably worse off than she. _Though I could pay him back once I get to the future, _she reasoned_. _Maybe she could-

"Hey!"

Was someone speaking to her? Why would someone be talking to her? She was no one in this time, and there were other people around her, who the voice was most likely speaking to.

"Hey!"

There were a few glances toward the person calling, but they all turned away once they realized he wasn't talking to them. _Maybe, he's really calling to me?_ She turned and her mouth almost dropped. It was Rogers, but it wasn't Rogers, well the Rogers she knew at least. There in front of her was a small man (if she could call him that), and one word came to mind when she saw him: shrimp. She was sure he was the smallest man on the planet…_Okay, being overly dramatic_, and it made her wonder how the hell he became Captain America.

Okay, she knew; it was his personality and his innocence that got him noticed by the Dr. Erskine. Even now, she could see how kind and sweet he was (oh, it did make her sick a little) just by looking into his eyes, his beautiful eyes. _Did I just refer to his eyes as beautiful? What was going on with me? _Whatever it was, she didn't care for it one bit. She was Toni F-ing Stark and she did not compliment people unless they were Pepper or Rhodey and she really didn't compliment Steve Rogers.

"Rogers," she muttered as he came closer. She tried to make herself look less pathetic and fragile than she really was, because even in this time, she didn't need his pity. However, he looked her over and Toni knew he was seeing past her deception. She had no idea how he did that, when no one else could.

"Are you crazy?" he asked.

That wasn't the question she was expecting from him, but she had the answer: she wasn't crazy just yet. However, she wasn't able to voice it as her brain was going into overdrive. It was hard to think past the small person in front of her. _He must've been teased so much,_ she thought, sadly. She wasn't aware of his life before he became America's icon, but as he didn't speak about it, she was sure it wasn't good. She didn't blame him on that one, because she didn't want to talk about her messed up childhood as well.

"Hello?"

Shaking out of her thoughts, she smiled weakly. "I'm not crazy."

"Then why are you out here without a coat?" he asked, softly. There was worry in his voice, which shocked her, as she was a complete stranger to him in this time. "It is very cold out here."

"I know," she stated annoyed. She wasn't stupid; she knew it was cold out here. "Do you always ask strangers if they are crazy or am I just lucky?" she asked. She didn't know what was up with herself these days. Her mood was constantly changing and she was beginning to wonder if she was bipolar.

Rogers took a step back. "No, Ma'ma, I didn't mean any disrespect. I just wanted to make sure you were okay as no women should be out here without a coat."

She didn't know if she should be insulted or touched by what he said, so she picked insulted. Toni could never go wrong with that. "I am quite capable in talking care of myself, you know." She held her broken arm close to her body.

"I never said you weren't."

"Good, because I'm not," Toni stated, eyeing him. "Do you know where the closer homeless shelter is?" she asked. Though she had no interest whatsoever in going, she knew she had no other choice; plus, it would be nice to get out of the cold. She didn't know how much more she could stand it.

"…A homeless shelter? Why?" He was concerned about her and it was clear. Toni wished she knew the reason, because why would a stranger be worried about someone he didn't know? "There aren't many around and I don't know of any off the top of my head." He stepped toward her. "Why would you need a shelter? Why can't you go home? I can walk with you if you like."

It was a really sweet of him, but it was a bit creepy as well. If she didn't know Rogers, she would think he was some kind of killer. "Why so you can murder me in dark alley?" she joked. _You know, Rogers could be the prefect killer with the right strategy, _she thought as no one would suspect him, the shrimp.

Toni didn't think it was possible but Steve's face was red like a cherry and his mouth was moving a mile per second. "No…I-I'm…being….f-friendly…." There was a pause as he took a deep breath. "I just wanted to make sure you get home safe."

"If there was a home for me to go to, I wouldn't be asking for a homeless shelter," she replied. She held the bag, with her belongs, tight in discomfort. And there was pity in his eyes, which was something she really didn't want. It almost made her want to punch him.

He took a long look at her. "Wait, why is that? Did something happen? Don't you have any friends or family to take you in?" he asked, not giving her any time to answer.

"You are asking a lot of personal questions," she countered. _Remind me later when I get to my time to beat Rogers. He's annoying,_ she told herself. Sure, he was annoying in her time, but he didn't ask so many questions in her time.

Hearing her comment, Rogers looked like someone kicked his puppy. "I don't mean to intrude, but I can't believe such a beautiful dame like yourself don't have anyone to turn to." His face was flushed as he spoke.

"Dame?" she smiled. She didn't think she was ever referred to that before in her life. "I'm dame. Interesting."

Rogers stared at her confused. She had him going around in circles, which wasn't too hard to do. "Again, I do not mean to disrespect you," he stated, unsure of what to say anymore.

Toni waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I am not insulted this time and I was joking with you. Geez, you need to lighten up." He couldn't take a joke in time as well, which was funny and interesting to her. "Anyways, the homeless shelter. Do you know anyone who would know of one?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Maybe, Bucky would know." It would be useless to ask why she needed a homeless shelter again because she wasn't going to answer him.

_Bucky?_ she thought to herself. What was a Bucky? Or was it a who? She would assume it was a person as she doubted Rogers was a type of person who would name an inanimate object. "Bucky?" she asked. "That isn't a weapon you kill helpless, not that I am helpless, women with?" she joked again. _Though I am helpless at the moment._ She didn't like that thought at all.

Again, Rogers stared at her. "No," he stated a little bit too strongly. "He's my roommate. His name is James Barnes, but I just call him Bucky," he said quickly.

The word cute comes to her mind when she thought about Rogers. She couldn't understand how he could be so innocent when he was who he was. Sure, he wasn't the Famous Captain yet and he hadn't faced any traumatic experiences yet, but he was like this in the future as well. Though she couldn't be sure, she believed it wasn't because of the time he grew up in. "How did you come up with the nickname Bucky?" That part she was curious about and she would like to hear the story.

A flash of red crossed his face. "Long story," he joked.

_Wait!... _Barnes, if she remembered correctly, had died in the war while working with Captain Rogers, and she had heard from her father that Rogers didn't take it well. "And how does that help me?" she asked. She started to feel pity for him, which annoyed her. She hated when people felt pity her, so she assumed he would as well.

"Come with me and maybe, he'll be able to help."

He really was naïve, wasn't he? Or was it just this time? She would give him the benefit of the time for now. "If I didn't already think you were a murderer, I do now," she laughed.

"You joke a lot," he reasoned. There was an annoyance in his words.

"Yup," she stated. _Maybe, I should just cool it. _"If I insult you, I'm sorry. It's who I am or so I am told….a lot of people call me an asshole for my teasing. That I don't take anything serious." Maybe, that was why she couldn't keep friends. She took a deep breath. "Any help would be great though."

"I'm fine. It didn't bother me," he stated.

She knew he was lying, because she had seen it in his face and had heard it in his voice; however, she wasn't going to call him on it.

"I live this way," he smiled. She followed him.

* * *

Without knowing where he lived (she knew it was somewhere in Brooklyn), she had no idea if they were close, which made the walk more awkward. They had walked mostly in silence as she had no idea of what to say to him. She didn't want to insult him again, because it would happen again if she said something as Toni Stark was an asshole.

As they walked, Toni kept noticing him glancing back at her. _What's going on in that head of his?_ She asked herself. Was it because of the neighborhood they were walking into? It was bad. Was he embarrassed by where he lived? _He shouldn't be._ She already knew who he was and where he came from (not the whole story but still); he didn't need to worry about what she was thinking…_ But Maybe he should,_ she thought, knowing how judgmental she was at times.

"So what do you do for a living?" she asked, knowing very little of what he did before becoming the Captain. She just knew he was a poor kid from Brooklyn.

He looked back at her. "I draw for newspapers and stuff."

"That sounds cool," she said, trying to start up a conversion. She could only take so much silence. "Can I see some of your work?" She had never seen Rogers' work as he was very guarded with it. She had asked a few times, which only resulted in him glaring at her and asking why she even cared.

"If you really want to." Rogers smiled lightly as he looked back. "What do you do?" he asked, changing the subject. "Are you a nurse?"

_Urgh, why did I ask that?_ Since she was so smart, she should've guessed that he was going go ask that. Now, how was she going to response to that? There was really nothing she could say without looking crazy. "I don't know," she stated, saying the first thing off her mind.

He stopped and turned to her. "What?"

"I don't remember much," she lied. She knew it would be the best answer, because he wouldn't be able to question her. "I woke up in a hospital a few days ago with no memory of who I was or where I was," she stated slowly.

"Wait, the hospital couldn't find your family?"

"No."

"And they just let you go?"

He was angry and Toni could tell. Again, it was cute to see how he reacted over a total stranger. "Well, I didn't want to stay there, and I'm stubborn."

"How would you know you are stubborn?" he asked.

Toni looked at him. "Good, question. I don't know but this present me is," she laughed.

"So you figure a homeless shelter is better than the hospital?" he asked with smile.

Toni had to admit, though not out loud or to him, that he had a nice smile. "I don't like to rely on people. And I do remember some things, just not a whole lot." She decided it would be foolish to have total memory lost.

"That's good at least," he replied.

"Anyhow, it's getting colder. Let's start walking again," she stated.

"Oh," he muttered as he was struck with a thought. He unzipped his jacket. "Here, use my coat."

"No...NO!" Toni objected. She did not want that. "You keep it."

Rogers looked taken back by her objection but he still insisted. "You're shivering. How long have you been out here in the cold without a coat? Didn't they give you anything?"

Again, his innocent and sweetness was shocking to her. "No, they didn't," Toni answered as he wrapped his coat around her. She didn't know if it was just her or if the coat, but she was really warm now. "You're going to be cold now."

Rogers was wearing a long sleeve dress shirt, which didn't seem to provide him with any warmth. "I'm not going to let a lady freeze." He smiled his innocent cute smile. "And we almost at my apartment. I'm fine."

"k," she muttered, still amazed at his character. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." From this point, he walked next to her. "How much do you remember?"

"My name is Toni and…" She paused as she thought about what she 'wanted to remember.' "And that is about it. I don't know who my family is, but I suspect they would have found me if I had any or if they cared. I remember a few things that I like and don't like." She shrugged. "…Not much if I think about it."

"No last name?"

"Nope, that would be helpful, wouldn't it?" she joked. She eyed him from the corner of her eye. This conversion was the longest conversion she had with Rogers without an argument.

"It would be," he smiled back. He reached her shoulder at his height now and it was weird to look down at him, because in her time, he was the one that had to look down. "I'm not surprise you can't remember," he stated. "When I found you, you were a mess. There had been a big gash and blood on your face."

Toni was taken back as she had totally forgotten about him finding her. She had thought she had been seeing things when he had found her in that empty lot. "That was you? That must've been an ugly sight." Without thinking, she reached her hand to cut on her forehead. The good thing about being out for a week was that most of her nicks and scratches were healed. The slash on her forehead was mostly healed and a small band aid was covering it.

Rogers stopped in front a building, which she assumed was his apartment. "I was. I was worried that you weren't alive as I didn't think anyone could survive that. So I'm glad I ran into you, because I couldn't get you out of my mind."

She eyed as he led her to the building. "Thinking about me?"

"Yea, just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were in such bad shape," he stated as the opened the door for her. She followed him in knowing he wasn't going to hurt her. "It is good to see you are okay, well for the most part."

As Toni walked up the stairs behind him, she realized she had never asked him for his name. Yes, she already knew his name, but he didn't know she knew it. _Wait…._she thought as she remembered something. She had called him Rogers before and she was sure he had heard it. "I think I remember you now. Rogers was it?" she asked.

"Yea, Steve Rogers."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Rogers," she said. It felt very weird to call him Mister.

"You can call me Steve."

Rogers had never asked her to call him Steve, and she didn't know if she would be comfortable enough to call him that if he asked. Beside they mostly just called each other by their last name and she was good with that as they weren't really friends or anything. "Thanks, Steve."

* * *

"This is it," Rogers announced as they came across a door at the end of the hallway.

Toni looked around, and if the hallway was to judge, that apartment wasn't going to be million bucks, but she wasn't going to complain. She was out of the cold and she was very thankful for that. Maybe, she could sleep in the lobby instead of a shelter. "This seems like a nice building," she said, forcing out the words.

After unlocking the door, Roger pushed the door open and walked in. Toni followed in after him and shocked at the state of apartment. "This is…nice." She wasn't expecting this from Rogers.

"It's home," he smiled.

She didn't know what to expect from the Rogers of this time, but she wasn't expecting a messy as hell apartment from Rogers, who never had a hair out of place. He was as neat as they came. "No, girlfriend to help clean?" she asked, knowing that he didn't have an important other. He was innocent as they came to love, and she wasn't even sure he ever kissed a girl before.

His face got red again. "N-No," he stuttered.

"So this is a bachelor pad. That makes sense."

"Hey, it is-" Rogers started.

"About time you go home," a man interrupted as he entered the main room from what appeared to be bed room. He gave Rogers a smile before turn to eye her.

"Hey, Bucky," Rogers greeted. "Sorry, I'm late I got a little distracted."

"Doing what?" Barnes asked, still eyeing her. There was a question look in the eye as he studied her. It was clear that his roommate didn't bring random woman home with him.

Toni, who was still wearing Rogers' coat, was eyeing Barnes right back. She had no idea of why they were having an eye staring contest, but she wasn't going to lose. She didn't lose often and she refused to be beat by James Barnes, even if he was delicious eye candy.

"You know that girl I found in that lot. This is her," he answered.

Barnes glanced toward his best friend before turning back to Toni, who had turned away. She sensed a battle between the two starting and she wanted nothing to do with it, even if it was all about her. She turned and looked for a way out, but she saw none, even if she was very good at sneaking. However, she might be able to go out the front door without them noticing. "Hi," she waved, unsure what to say.

"Hello," Barnes replied, trying to be nice.

"You know, I tried to talk him into taking me to a homeless shelter but it didn't work," she shrugged. "He just brought me here."

He stared at her confused. "Why would you go to a shelter?"

Rogers answered, "She had nowhere else to go."

"And you brought her here?" Barnes as ked, still eyeing her.

Okay, so she knew she was eye candy herself, but he didn't need to stare at her like that. People were only allowed to stare at her like that if they were about to have sex with her. She wouldn't mind to see how he was in bed but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"I wasn't going to leave her out in the cold," Rogers countered.

"I get that, but can I talk to you in private, Steve?" Barnes asked, pointing to his room.

Toni knew what that meant; they wanted to talk about her without her in the room. Normally, she would make a scene and demand they say it in front of her face, but she doubted that would be wise in this situation. "Don't mind me," she waved the two off as she wondered off to the window.

"Thanks," Barnes said as he dragged Rogers off into one of the bedroom and closed the door.

Toni watched from the corner of her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe, she could just leave now and they would never know…. Or okay, they would but that was beside the point. They wouldn't find out until she was gone and that would be too late for them to find her… Besides, she didn't need to be here and she didn't need their charity. _I should just go_, she thought, even if it was foolish.

Turning her attention to window, she stared out. "Of course, it would start snowing. If there's a God, he hates me, a lot," she sighed. She took a long slow away from the window as she thought. After a few minutes of silence, she crossed to the front door. "I should give this back," she stated, taking off Rogers' warm coat. "I should probably put more clothes on, though."

In her bag, she had the t-shirt and jeans she came in from the future, and though it did not fit the time, it would keep her warmer than she was. She took out the articles and laid it on the couch. Without taking off the nurse's uniform (an annoying dress), she went to put her jeans, but she didn't know where to begin. She got down on the floor and laid out her jeans in front of her. Using one leg to hold down the pants, she slid the other in. After she had one leg in a little bit, she put the other one in. "How am I going to pull them up?" she whispered to herself.

Toni got to her knees and tried to pull her pants up that way, but she couldn't keep them up with one hand as every time she pulled one side up, the order side fell down. "Ah," she uttered in her struggle; she fell. If it wasn't for the chair, she would have fallen on her face. She looked up at the close door, waiting to see if they heard. Not hearing anything, she turned her attention back to her pants.

After laying herself on the ground, she had been able to work her pants up as she used her legs to push herself off the ground. "Now, here comes the hard part," she told herself. After a few attempts of trying to button them, she decided it would be useless if she couldn't hold one side still. She would need both hands. After freeing her broken arm from the sling, she tried to reach it down to hold her pants still, but she couldn't hold it for long. It was painful to work her arm like that but she needed to button her pants. "Got it," she whispered after a few moments of pain.

Before returning her arm to her sling, she turning the shirt inside out (so no one could see the symbol on the shirt), and pulled it over the dress. It was difficult but it was easier than putting on the pants. She just had to put it over her head and slide her arms through. She almost got stuck at one point, but it didn't take much strength to pull it down. After she was able to straighten her shirt, she put the sweater back over.

"What else do I have in this bag?" she asked. With her good arm she reached into her bag (not caring about her broken phone), she pulled out the boots she had been wearing. "Yes," she stated, loudly. She turned and eyed the door that the guys disappeared behind. Did they hear her that time? "They've been in there a long time." She wasn't going to wait for them to come out.

After changing shoes and put the nursing shoes back into the bag (she might need them for later), she crossed to the door. "Bye, Steve," she whispered as she opened the door. Even now, saying his first name was weird, and she would probably never say it again.

* * *

I hoped you enjoyed this.

:) And now I can sleep. Yay, sleep.


	8. Mystery Memories

Hey all!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it took so long. It just takes me forever to get down and type.

:)

I do not own anything Marvel. So sad.

* * *

Chapter 8:

Mystery Memories.

* * *

"I don't know what the big deal is," Steve stated. There were in his bedroom, which had seen better days. Unlike most of the apartment, it was neat and clean, but the furniture in the room was old and mismatched like the rest of the apartment.

Bucky look a deep long breath, unsure of what to say. "You don't bring girls home," he spoke from the corner of the room, while staring at the wall.

"So? Are you the only one who can?" he asked annoyed. Bucky, who wasn't sly at all, was a ladies' man and could get any woman that he wanted, which had annoyed Steve at times. There were times, though he tried to be sneaky about it, that Steve had seen women leave his room, which was awkward.

"Is this jealously?" Barnes asked.

Steve took a deep breath. "No, this isn't."

"Then what is this?" Bucky asked, eyeing his roommate. "Why bring her home? Is there something going on with you?"

"Why must there be something wrong with me? Why can't I just do the right thing?"

Bucky didn't speak right away as he thought about what he was going to say. "I've been worried about you for a while now, because you haven't been thinking. Also, you never brought a woman home before," he stated as he took a seat on the bed. "Plus, why would she come home with you?"

"Really?" Steve snapped. "Am that pathetic to you?"

There was a glare in Steve's eyes that Bucky had never seen before. Steve was pissed many times at him for some reason or other, but he had never seen him this mad before and Bucky really didn't understand why. He didn't say anything that was untrue or wrong. It was no secret that Steve had no luck or game with the ladies. "I didn't mean it like that," he stated, thinking he might had crossed the line. "You and ladies don't really mix, but I'm sorry if I insulted you."

Steve took a deep breath. "I know." Even if he would be able to work up the nerve to speak with beautiful dames, he didn't know what to say or how to act. He was also wasn't the type that attracted woman. "But you make it sound like she's using me." He knew it was possible but he didn't want to think about it.

"You don't even know who she is?... She doesn't know who she is," Bucky commented. "She could be some murderer or at least dangerous. I know she's gorgeous, but that doesn't mean this is smart."

Steve laughed. "Someone like her isn't capable of murder. When is the last time you heard of a dame killing someone? They don't have a mean bone in their body." He turned his attention to a photo of his mother on his nightstand.

"There are a few dames, who I think of, that are," Bucky countered, with a chuckle. "But, what do you expect to do with that girl that you saved? If I remember correctly, she was looking for a homeless shelter."

Blowing out in a big huff, Steve crossed to the only window in his room, which view was of a brick wall. "She was, but she's injured and has memory lost. I don't want her in a homeless shelter or anything like that. Those places would eat her alive"

"You were always the gentleman."

"I know."

"So how long do you expect to her to stay here?" Bucky asked with a smile on his face. "She's quite the looker."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "You would say that. Stay away from her; there're other dames out there if you need a fix," he stated, annoyed. "And I don't know. We can decide tomorrow." He took a deep breath.

"I have a feeling you won't let her go," Bucky stated.

"I can't just let her go if she has no place to go. Look it is snowing out there," Steve stated pointing out the window. It was coming down in big flakes and it was hard to see the ugly brick wall.

"Your heart is too big at times."

"So you would be able to kick her out to the street?"

Barnes gave him a smile. "No, I would just invite her to my bed. She's so easy on the eyes." He was smirked with a chuckle.

"No!" Steve yelled. "Just stay away from her."

"Whoa, it was a joke. Geez," Barnes stated as he put his hands up in defense. "If I didn't know better, I would think you liked her."

Steve huffed. "I don't like her. I don't know her, though I'm interested to find out why she was in that empty lot. Don't you think?" He watched his roommate. "What is on your mind?"

Bucky crossed to the door, as he wanted to check on the girl. She had been making weird sounds in there, which didn't sit well with him. "Many things, but you might not like the answer." Again there was a chuckle in his voice.

Steve glared. "Either you're negative or perverted. I don't know which is worse." He walked pass his best friend and out into the living room.

It took a few seconds for Steve to realize that Toni was missing. "Where did she go?" Steve asked worried. "She had nowhere to go." His heart stated to beat fast at the thought of her alone in the snow. "She could die out there." When he had found her the first time, she was almost frozen to death.

"Steve."

"I have to find her," he spoke quickly as he crossed to his coat that she left on the couch. "What was she thinking?...She wasn't." He was getting pissed at her with each second passed bye. "Didn't she think we would worry about her?"

"Steve."

After zipping up his coat, he crossed to the closer for a better pair of shoes. The ones he was wearing now were falling apart. "Is she stupid? Why couldn't she just wait?"

"Steve."

"What?" Steve snapped.

Bucky walked to Steven and put his hand on best friend's shoulder. "Calm down and take a deep breath. You're getting worked up over a total stranger."

"You just want me to let her freeze?" He was glaring again.

"I didn't say that," Bucky stated defending himself. He reached into the closest grabbing his coat. "You getting worked and it's not helping you. Plus, it must be hard for her to be in a stranger's house with no memory of who she is."

"You're going to come out with me?"

"I'm not going to let my best friend look for a pretty dame by himself," Barnes smiled as he zipped up his coat. "Let's go."

"Thanks," Steve muttered as they both left the apartment, which was near the top of the old building. "I don't know where she would go. It might be worthless to go look for her and that worries me." New York was a big city and there were so many places that Toni could've gone. At this time of the night, there was no where she could go to get out of the cold. What was he going to do if he couldn't find her? Could he just leave her out in the cold, where she could die?

"We'll find Toni," Bucky spoke. He took the lead as Steve was filled with worry. He could see the doubt and worry in Steve's eyes, which was strange. Steve had never been the guy to run in fear, when he should have. There had been times that Steven should have run, as he had gotten his ass kicked at many times because he wouldn't back down from a fight.

"I know."

Bucky glanced behind him at Steve, who was staring hard in front of him. "Then believe it."

"Wait," Steve stated suddenly as he stopped

"…What?"

"Let me go back and get a coat for her. She doesn't have one and she could be freezing."

"Okay," Bucky stated as he watched his roommate turn and ran back to their apartment. After he was out of sight, he spoke, "Of course, he would think of a coat when we are almost at the lobby. "

Not wanting to wait on the stairwell, Bucky continued down to the lobby. The building was quiet for the most part except for a few wild men, who were drinking far too much. "They must be off to the war," he muttered as he walked pass the open door. They were wearing military uniforms, which was what attracted the women (who were losing more clothes with each passing moment) to them. He had the desired to close the door but he fought it as he didn't want to be noticed by them. That was a fight he didn't want.

"Finally," he muttered as he entered the dark lobby, freeing himself from the noise. "I wonder how long Steve's going to be." He crossed to one of the navy blue chairs to sit, when he noticed Toni sitting in the corner of the room on the white floor. She was starting out the window at the snow. "Toni," he called as he walked to her.

Toni glanced at him before turning back to the window. "I was going to leave but I had nowhere to go, and it was cold. I was too chicken to face the snow." Her voice was quiet and it was hard to hear her.

She was still wearing the white dress and sweater but she had added jeans and some kind of black shirt to her outfit. The jeans were an interesting touch as Barnes hadn't seen a woman wear jeans before, granted he hadn't seen many dames wearing pants either. "So you decided to sleep here?" he asked as he took a seat next to her on the ground.

"Better here than a park bench."

"True," he stated, eyeing her from the corner of his eye. "Do you work out?" he asked, noting her well-fit body.

"I don't know," she stated as she leaned back slowly and started at the ceiling.

He watched her body language as she moved. "Why don't you come back up to the apartment? It's chilly down here." Though the door was close, there was a draft.

"Not that cold," she stated, closing her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, but they didn't stay opened for long. "And I don't want to burden you. I hate to be a burden." She was fighting to stay awake. "That's the last thing I want to be."

"A pretty thing like you wouldn't be a burden," Bucky said. "And before you ask, I won't let you go to a homeless shelter." At the weakness in her voice, he decided he didn't want her anywhere near one of those death shelters.

"I had always been burden," Toni stated, opening her eyes again slowly. "I promised myself that I wouldn't be."

"Who said you were?" he asked, looking her over. Her eyes were closed again and her chest was moving up and down ever so slowly. She didn't respond. "Toni," he called. Toni didn't respond again. "Toni?" He reached out to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, but she didn't stir.

"She must be sleeping."

Bucky almost jumped at the voice. He turned to see Steve leaning again the wall with a jacket in his arms. He looked a little ruffed up. "What happen to you?" he asked, keeping his voice down. "You didn't try to tell the idiots in apartment 205 to shut it, did you?"

Steve stared at Bucky. "They were disturbing the other residents. What was I supposed to do?"

"Let it go," he stated, getting to his knees next to the Sleeping Toni. He picked her up and held her close to his body. There was a chill in her body, which he didn't like. "One of these days, you're going to get yourself killed by taking on someone too big."

Steve let Bucky walk pass him before he said anything. "This is about me wanting to join the army, isn't it?"

"If you want to fight, Steve, we can do that, but let's get Toni in bed," he stated walking up the steps. Her head was rested against his shoulder and he could feel her breath on his neck.

"I don't want to fight with you."

"It seems like you do."

"Because, you think you're right, and you're not."

Barnes took a deep breath instead of speaking back because there was nothing he could say to Steve. It was no secret that Steve and he disagreed about things.

* * *

It was silent between the two as they didn't know what to say to each other without starting a fight. Both of them knew if they spoke, they would regret it.

Steve couldn't just stand by and let things happen even if he knew he was going to lose the fight. Barnes, on the other hand, over thought things at times, which made him slow to action, and he had often given up on things that he thought was impossible.

Steve opened the door to the apartment for Bucky as he carried Toni in. During the walk up, she hadn't stirred which shocked both of them as they expected her to make some noise or something. "You can take her to my room and I can take the couch," Steve offered, as he opened the door to his room.

Steve folded down the blankets so Barnes could set her down on the twin size bed gently. Before stepping away, Bucky slid her boots off gently so Steve could pull the plain blankets over her. They both turned away and started out of the bed room.

"No," Toni muttered.

"Toni, are you okay?" Steve asked, going back to her. Was she talking to them? Calling him back?

"I won't do it," she protested, kicking the blankets off of her. She was tossing and turning. "Stop it. Just stop it, please." Her voice was weak. "…Please."

"Toni," Steve called and reaching out to her. "It's okay. It's okay." He was almost singing to her.

Bucky crossed to him. "She's having a nightmare." He wasn't sure what to do to help with nightmares, but he was sure they couldn't just leave her.

"We should wake her," he stated, eyeing the pained expression on her face.

"No, I was told that was one of the worse things you can do," Barnes stated. "We have just to comfort her through it."

For the next few minutes, Steve remained beside her until she was quiet. Bucky was the first one to leave, as this was not his area and he felt uncomfortable. After leaving her side, Steve lingered in the doorway watching her. He wanted to make sure she was okay, before he left her. After a few silent minutes, Steve exited the room even if he was still worried.

Steve found his roommate siting at the small table with a deep expression on his face. "What you think she been through to have dreams like that?" Steve asked as he took a sleep across from Bucky.

"I don't know but it couldn't have been good." Bucky blew out in a large buff before standing up. "It's late. Let's get some sleep."

Steve looked at him. "You're probably right." He glanced back to his bedroom before turning to the couch.

* * *

Having woken up early to do some earns, Steve had returned after a couple of hours to find Bucky was once again at the table staring at him. In front of him was today's newspaper, which was opened to some war article. Steve stared at the picture with a same old desire that he could join the army and help his country but no one wanted him.

"Where have you been?" Bucky asked, noticing a bag Steve's hand. "Shopping?"

Steve put the bag down and placed his coat in the closet. "Yes."

Bucky eyed his roommate as he knew something was up. "Is that it? Or did you try and enlist again?" He stood up annoyed. "Why do you keep doing that?" he asked, trying to keep his voice down so not to wake the girl. "You're just going to hurt yourself."

Though he wanted to say some smart back, Steve couldn't as Bucky did have a point. "There's always something I can do. I can't sit and do nothing."

Bucky sighed. "I understand." He glanced back to the newspaper, which was laying overtop of something. Only a corner of a white envelope was visible. "But you need to think this through."

"So is Toni still sleeping?" he asked.

"Yes, soundly, I might add." Bucky hadn't heard anything from her, which didn't mean she wasn't having nightmare. He really couldn't tell unless she made a noise or something. He had checked on her randomly to see how she was doing, and everything seemed okay.

"Geez, it's like 10 am."

"Want your bed back?" Bucky chuckled. During one of those checkups in the middle of the night, he had seen how uncomfortable his best friend was on the couch. At one point, Steve had taken to the floor, and Bucky didn't blame him. He had napped on that couch one time and he stated he would never do it again.

"I would never turn down a bed," he smiled.

"So what are we going to do with her?" Bucky asked as he would never be able to throw her out on the street.

Under the window stood an old oak writing desk, which had belonged to Steve's father. There were many scratches and dents in the old faded wood, but Steve would never do away with it. When he was younger, Steve would watch his father work at the desk with the thought he would do the same one day. It was true, which brought a smile to his face. It was where he worked, and at times, where he thought. It was where Steve was headed now. "I want to help her get back to her feet."

"That might take a while," Bucky stated, as he eyed Steve.

With his back to his friend, he took a seat and stared out the window. He had gotten lucky. He had made it back before it started to rain down ice. "So be it."

"Are you sure?" There it was again: worry. Bucky was very easy to read at time.

Steve leaned back in his old pine chair that didn't match the desk, which wasn't surprising. Nothing really matched in the apartment besides the ugly kitchen chairs. "Yes."

Bucky turned to the bag that Steve had set down. "What's in the bag?"

"I thought Toni needed something else to wear. Did you see those clothes she had been wearing?" Steve asked.

"I have."

"Anyway, I have to work," he stated, picking up his work bag from the side of the desk. Like the rest of the apartment it was old and ugly, but again, it was special. It was his father's.

"Be careful and stop trying to enlist," he stated as he watched Steve put his old faithful coat back on.

"I can't make any promises," Steve smiled as he exited, leaving Bucky alone with the still sleeping Toni.

* * *

I hoped you enjoy this.

:)


	9. False Safetly

Hey guys.

I hope the wait wasn't too bad. :)

But here you go! And oh, I do not own Avengers.

* * *

**Chapter 9: **

**False Safely**

* * *

She was warm and comfortable, which she hadn't felt like in a long time. Toni felt safe sleeping in the bed, because no couch was this comfortable (though some of her couches in her lab could compete). She hadn't felt this way in a long time. Even after she had let the Avengers in, she hadn't felt like this. She couldn't really be herself around them as she felt like they were always judging her. She knew she could be imagining it all, but she had seen theirs eyes. She had seen Rogers' eyes, which could always shot right through her.

"Sleep headache," she muttered to herself. "I must've slept too long." She laughed as she thought about her sleeping patterns. Usually, she never slept this much, only having about 4 hours of sleep a night if that. She had been yelled at so many times about it by every single Avenger and Pepper. Though, Toni would rather face each Avenger and even Loki than face Pepper.

Slowly opening her eyes, Toni played with the idea that this whole time traveling thing just a dream, but she knew that wasn't the case. As soon as she opened her eyes, she knew she was still living in this nightmare. Yes, she considered this situation to be a total nightmare. She wouldn't call this her worst fear, but it was one of her fears. She was totally alone and she had no idea of how to get back. For once in her life, her brain was letting her down.

She grimaced as she pushed herself up into a sitting position with her good arm. It was difficult because she was in pain. "I need meds," she told to herself. She didn't like that thought because she didn't want to get addicted to that stuff, which could happen if she took too much. "Stupid arm," she muttered. "Can I just crop it off? Who needs an arm?"

Toni kicked the blankets off her and swung her feet off the bed. "Wait, why am I in a bed?" She remembered leaving the apartment, while Barnes and Rogers argued over her. Usually, she didn't mind when men fought over her, but she didn't like that _they _were fighting over her. They were best friends. She closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened. "Oh, I was sitting down in the lobby, when Barnes found me. He must've come across me. URGH!" She shook her head. "So need to get out of here." She wondered, though why he brought her back. He didn't even want her here to begin with and she didn't blame him.

"This rooms so needs a work over," she stated, taking a long look around. Nothing in the room really matched, and it all looked like it came from the junk yard. "…Wait, is this Rogers' room?" Was Rogers in the lobby as well? She didn't see him but he must've been if she ended up on his room. Why did they have to put her in_ his _room? And where did he sleep? He must've slept in the couch like a little champ. Did he just want to show the world that he was perfect? "Rogers," she muttered, annoyed. She knew she was judging him with bias opinion, but she didn't want to see him as any other way. In her eyes, he couldn't just be a nice guy, who generally cared about her. He had to be the know-it-all bastard, who had to point out everything that she did wrong. He had to be an egoist asshole, who had to save someone at every single day. "Stupid, Rogers."

However, she had to give it to Rogers, he knew how to make a room comfortable, as his had a homely feeling that her tower missed. He probably had more pictures in this one room than she did in her whole tower and that was saying something. "He looks happy," she said, picturing up a photo of him and, who she assumed to be, his parents. They looked like one big happy family, and that annoyed Toni, who slammed the photo down a little too hard. The glass shattered. "Shit," she muttered, feeling like an idiot.

She tried to fit the glass back into the frame, though she knew it was pointless. He would notice….though he would probably say it was nothing even if it was. It was something just to avoid hurting her feelings. Again, that annoyed her. Why did he have to be so perfect?! "Why do you lose your temper, Stark?" she asked herself, knowing that she wasn't perfect at all. Why was she so jealous of Rogers? "Because…." Toni took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. He had everything. He had a loving family and the respect that she dreamt of. There was also the fact that he got the attention from her father that she always wanted. He was everything her father wanted, while she was nothing. He had a whole nation that loved him, and she had a whole nation that wanted to see her fail. Why did he get to be so lucky?

Getting to her feet, she crossed to the mirror in the room, which she surprised he had. Toni took a long look at herself, and she had to give it to herself. She did beat Rogers in one thing, even if she was a hot messy, and that was being hot. Roger couldn't even touch that; however, she knew at this time (she was still unsure what exact year) though, he was cuter. "Toni, Toni. What am I going to do with you?" she asked with a small smile.

She patted herself on the cheek before running her good hand through her messy hair. "Stupid hair." It was a mess and she had no fix it. "Maybe, I should just cut it all off," she told herself as she combed her long hair with her hands. Pepper wouldn't be here to stop her. She eyed a pair of scissors at the end of the dresser, and after a few seconds of staring, she reached for them. She brought it to her hair, but she couldn't do it. Sure, she didn't care what her hair looked like, but she didn't want to slaughter it, which is what would happen.

"Chicken," she called herself. She took another deep breath as pulled down her shirt to stare at her chest. Her Arc Reactor wasn't as bright as it was supposed to be, which scared the shit out of her, and she had none of the proper tools to fix it. Even in the cave, she had resources, but here, there was nothing. Did the tools she need even exist here? She could die if she didn't get to that device in time. "How much time do I have?" she asked herself. She would have to keep an eye on it and hope she would get to her device in time.

Toni released her shirt, allowing it to hide the reactor. Maybe, it was a good thing it wasn't as bright. "Toni, keep it together." She had to keep her head on her shoulder if she wanted to get through this. She lowered her head to the dresser and rested it there for a few seconds. "Need to act like a Stark…like a Stark," she told herself. She didn't know what it really meant to act like a Stark though. "I can wing it like I always do."

Picking herself back up, she decided she should face them. "I'm really a child, isn't I?" Shaking her head, she headed out. Toni opened the door slowly to not alert anyone to her present. She wanted to scope things out first before talking to them. From Rogers' bedroom only the small kitchen was visible, and from what she could see, there was no one in there. Toni stepped out slowly, still keeping an eye out. _Maybe, I can sneak out now before anyone knows I'm gone, _she thought to herself. _Yea, but you don't have shoes. They took them from you,_ she countered. Toni glanced down at her feet. She was still wearing her hospital soaks, which were an ugly color of gray.

She shook her head. "Toni, keep focus." Rogers always did say she got distracted way too easy, and she would yell at him each time he said it, but now, she guessed he was right. She glanced around the room before rounding the corner, which brought the rest of the small apartment into view. To her joy, she didn't see anyone, which was weird. Why would anyone leave a stranger alone in their home? That was just stupid. "Idiots."

Shaking her head, she noticed a new paper on the table. "Great, now I can see what date this is." She picked up the paper, but she didn't really look at it. There underneath the newspaper was a white paper. She knew she shouldn't look at it as it wasn't her business but she couldn't help it. She could never really mind her own business, which she was yelled at constantly about.

Toni picked up the paper. "These are enlistment papers," she stated, as she glanced them over. These papers belonged to Barnes, which wasn't all too surprising. Though the Captain didn't speak about it, she knew Barnes died in the war. It was the push that Rogers needed, but she wouldn't wish that on anyone. "You know you can change that," she said to herself. She had the power to rewrite history. Sighing, she knew she couldn't do that, and she put the paper down.

"Noisy, are we?" Barnes asked, leaning against the bathroom door.

She almost jumped, not noticing him there. She didn't even hear him, which annoyed her. "When are you leaving?" she asked, ignoring his insult. "Does Rogers know you are leaving?"

"Two weeks and no," he answered eyeing her.

"Why didn't you tell him?" she asked, knowing this would upset him. Rogers and Barnes were closed, and Toni knew it would hurt him to know his friend was going to war and could possibly lose his life, while he couldn't do anything. There was also the face that Barnes kept it from him.

"I'll tell him when I need to," he stated. He sounded annoyed.

"When's that? When you're leaving?" she asked, showing him her spunk. "You think that's better?"

Barnes straightened himself up and walked to her. "I know, but I can't tell him," he stated as he ripped the papers out of her hands. "Just let it be."

She took a deep breath, knowing she should let this go. If she pushed, she might change history. Maybe, Rogers wasn't supposed to know to a certain time. "Okay," she agreed. "But…" She shook her head. "Fine."

After putting the papers up, he stepped back to her. "How are you?" he asked. His voice was softer all of the sudden. "Are you in pain?" He stared at the cast.

Toni followed his eyes for a second, wondering if he was looking at her boobs. "I'm fine."

"I can see you're uncomfortable."

"Maybe, it's just you."

"Ouch," he mocked. "That hurt." He was smiling. "I thought we could be friends."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you flirting with me, Mr. Barnes?" she teased. If he wanted to play the flirting game with her, she would, and she would have him crying mercy.

He smiled at her. "Why? Do you want me to? I can."

Barnes was smirking at her. Smirking at her! She was a Stark. How dare he smirk at a Stark like that? "Large ego, I see."

"Is there a problem with that?" Again, he was smirking.

If she didn't found that completely sexy, he would be totally annoying. She shook her head as she tried to clear her mind of the dirty images that flooded it. There were so many things she could do to that man, and she wasn't sure if half of them were legal. "So why did you bring me back?" she asked, changing the subject. She didn't want to answer his question.

His smile faded slightly, which made it more annoying than sexy. "Neither I nor Steve were going to leave you down there," he admitted. "Something could've happen to you."

"No one would've blamed you," she said as she turned to the door. _Where are my shoes?_ "Where's Rogers?" If she timed this right, she might get away before he came back. Where she would go after that, she wasn't sure.

"Work," he answered. "Leaving so soon?"

She turned back to Barnes, who was leaning back against the counter. "I don't want to impose."

"Where would you go?"

There was another question she didn't want to answer, because she had no answer for that one. "So you're going to let me go without a fuss?" That shocked her.

Barnes took a deep breath. "I'm not Steve." There was a half-smile. "If you want to go, then go. I won't stop you, but you don't have to."

Toni took a long look at him, trying to read him, but she couldn't get anything.

"And you never answered my question. Where would you go? I know you don't have anywhere to go."

She shot him a glare. "Don't think that you know me." She hated when people thought they knew here, because on one knew her.

"I see."

"You see what?" she asked as she stepped away. She needed to calm herself.

"You don't like to accept help."

_Calm down, Stark. _Once second, he had her hot and bothered and now, he had her pissed. _I need to get out. _She took a deep breathe. "Why does that matter?" she asked. Turning, she noticed a bag sitting on the table. She wondered for a second what was inside of it. Toni exhaled as she turned away from it.

"Steve and I both agreed you can stay with us until you get on your feet."

Toni gave him a questioning look, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to bring up the fact that he would be leaving in two weeks and he wouldn't be here to see her get back to her feet, but she thought was a bad idea.

"What's with the look?" Barnes asked as he stepped toward her.

"Nothing." Toni eyed him. She held her breath as she watched his eyes draft down to her chest. For a second, she knew he was looking at her boobs again, but he was looking at the spot where the reactor was located. "You're looking at my chest again and there's nothing to see. I'm not showing anything." Her shirt was hiding her chest.

Barnes turned slight red as he turned away. "I-I…wasn't looking. I thought I saw something."

"On my chest?" she asked. She hid her worry about him finding out about the reactor. He would probably think she was some kind of freak.

He shook his head. "I thought I saw something." Toni laughed as his face was red. "So will you stay? You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but accepting help isn't a bad thing."

"I'll stay if you stop asking and if you tell Rogers about your enlistment," she said, poking the beast.

"There you go again," he said annoyed.

"What? I think he would like to know so he can make the best out of these two weeks. He's your best friend."

"I know." He took a deep breath. "Fine. I will."

"YAY," she cheered, almost jumping.

Barnes stared at her, unsure what to make of her. "You have some energy. What do you use that for?" He winked at her, causing her to blush.

"You have a dirty mind on you, Mr. Barnes."

He laughed. "I have been told that."

She narrowed her eyes. "I see."

Barnes laughed again. "Do you want to take a walk with me?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I have nothing to wear," she stated, pointing to her outfit. She looked like some hippy chick in what she was wearing, and she would not be caught dead wearing this out. Even in the past, she was still a Stark and she had standards. "Do you see what I'm wearing?" she asked.

"Go check that bag."

She turned to the bag that she spotted earlier and took a look inside. "What? Where did these come from?" she asked. There were a few different outfits in there for her, and to her dismay, there was no pants. There was one pot-a-dot dress, one gray dress, two blouses and one skirt. At the bottom of the bag, was a pair of black flats. _At lease, there're no heels. _She hated heels. "Where did these come from?"

"Steve thought you would need some clothes to change into."

"Rogers didn't have to do that," she said looking at the clothes. He really didn't have to do it, because now, she owed him.

Barnes waved it off. "That's who he is. He's a perfect gentleman, while I'm the bad guy." Again, he was smiling.

"I can see that," she chucked as she picked up the bag, knowing she couldn't really turn it down. She would need to blend into the 1940's if she wanted to keep her secret. Plus, she would pay Rogers back, but if she really thought about it, didn't she already do that? He was living in her Stark Tower, which she refused to call Avenger Tower like everyone else had been calling it. Until Shield started to pay the bill, Toni refused to call it anything but Stark Tower. "But you know. I like the bad guys." She showed him her winning smile.

"Who's flirting now?"

"Let's me get changed, and we can take a walk."

"If you need help, let me know. I would be glad to assist."

"Geez," Toni joked. "You're such a tease. Does your mother know you act like this?" She walked toward Rogers' room to change. The hospital bag with all of her things was in there, so she could just put them all together.

Barnes took a seat at the table and picked up the newspapers. "Nope, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her." Even though her back was to him, she knew he was smiling.

* * *

She had laid out all of the outfits on the bed, as she was unsure which one to put on. Each was too girly for him, but at least they had high neck lines, which would hide the fading reactor. "Let's go with the dresses, because it would be too much work with the skirt," she moaned. She hated dresses, and she knew the future Rogers would be having a kick out of this. He had told her he always wanted to see her in a dress, as he had never seen her in a dress. He wasn't even sure she owned a dress. She did of course (thanks to Pepper), but they were hidden in her closet.

"And lets just go pot-a-dot," she told herself. That one had a zipper in the back, while the other dress had buttons going all the way up the front. She knew she could handle the zipper while buttons would give her trouble. Though she stumbled a few times, she managed to get out of her clothes.

"What do they have me in?" she asked herself as she looked at the bra and panties they had her in. The white bra didn't have any shape to it as it coved half of her chest. It also made her look flat chested. "Not like I had any boobs to begin with," she muttered to herself. It did match the ugly panties she was wearing, which almost looked like shorts. It went past her belly button. "I so need to get out of this."

She took them off with no issue, but again, it was torture to put anything on. Her black boy short panties were easy to put on, but that couldn't be said about her black bra, which was fighting her. "Stupid bra," she cursed. She was able to clip it in the front, but it was the rotating that she was having an issue with. As she struggled, she felt against the bed, making noise.

"Are you okay in there?" Barnes called from outside the door.

"I'm fine!" she yelled back, finally knowing how to rotate the bra. After a few minutes, she was able to get it on. "There, we go." She smiled as she looked in the mirror. "See, I look much better."

Though she wasn't a girly girl in any shape or form, she still tried to keep herself looking hot. She smiled, because even with a cast, she still looked good. The cast could not hide the fact that there was no fat on her body, but it couldn't hide the scars eithers. A one long one down her side could be seen.

Shaking her head, she turned back to the bed and picked up the dress she was going to wear. She set it on the ground and stepped into it. She was able to put it all the way up and slip her arms into it, but she couldn't zip it. She needed both arms for that. "I guess I would ask Barnes to zip it for me," she said as she looked in the mirror. The dress had a high neck, which covered the reactor, but didn't mean it was hidden.

Toni was staring at her chest looking for any hints of the blue glow. "I can see it," she muttered. "Or maybe, I just see it because I know it's there. Yep, that's it," she announced. It really wasn't that noticeable and no one would notice unless they were looking for it.

Stepping into the black flats, she crossed to the door. "Barnes, can you help me with this?" she asked as she opened the door.

He was still sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. He looked up at her and his month almost dropped, because she looked amazing in the dress. "…Help with what?"

She walked toward him. The short sleeve dress went a few inches below her knees, and it hugged her body. "Can you zip this for me?" She asked as she showed him her back.

"Sure," he said, a little shaky. He stood and walked to her. He put one of his hands on the back of her neck to hold the dress together, and he placed the other on her lower back.

Holding up her hair, Toni could feel his cold hand on her back. She could feel his hot breath on her neck. "All good?" she asked as she felt him go all the way up. He was getting her hot again. _Damn hormone,_ she thought to herself. _This is what happens when I don't have sex in a while._ She really couldn't remember the last time she had sex, which was surprising for her. It was weird for her to have sex nowadays with the reactor in her chest.

"Yes," he stated as he walked away.

"Thanks. Let me do something with this hair and we can go." He nodded as he went back to the table.

* * *

Toni was back in front of the mirror, glaring at her hair. It was a total mess, and there wasn't thing that she could really do with so. "Maybe, I should cut it." She exhaled as she rubbed her temple.

"Ew," she groaned as she noticed her wrist. There was dried blood on her wrist from when she tried to escape from handcuff. She had forgotten that she cut her wrist. "I should clean that, but first the hair."

She turned form the mirror looking around the room for something that she could use. On the window, she noted a rubber band, which she knew would tear out her head, but she had no choice. Though she wanted to put it in a bun, she settled for a long pony tail, which wasn't all that neat. However, she was happy with her work and headed to the restroom. She noticed Barnes eyeing her, but he didn't say anything to her.

When she got to the restroom, she turned on the water and ran the water over her wrist. It stung on contact. She was able to get the caked on blood off, but the cuts were visible. "Hopefully, no one notices," she prayed. She didn't want the questions that would come along with it. "Though at least it isn't as bad as my face," she smiled. Though her hair had hid most of the injury, there was a bit that was still showing. "At least the bruises are gone." She didn't have to hide them with make-up that she hated.

Putting on the biggest smile, she walked out to meet Barnes, who had agreed her with a big smile. It would be fun to get to know him if you knew what she meant, but she wouldn't do that.

* * *

Toni and Barnes had just taken a seat in a booth at a dinner. "It looks like an old fifty dinner," she smiled as she took the coat she was wearing off. Barnes had offered to help it with her, but she had turned him down. She didn't need any help with the coat that she had borrowed from Rogers. It had fit her just fine.

"What would a fifty dinner look like?" he asked her. His eye brow was raised as he stared at her. "I think there would be aliens or something." He laughed.

_Idiot! _She yelled at herself. "I meant…" What could she really say to that? _Oops, I meant thirty._ She didn't think that would work. She took her head as she exhaled slowly. "Mistake of the tongue. Not sure what I meant," she stated. She tried to hide it with a laugh

Again, he was staring at her.

"So is this place any good?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"You have a funny way of saying things."

She raised her eye brow and again, she cursed in her mind. She really didn't belong in this time period and she would go crazy if she stayed here for too long. "Because I'm awesome."

"You have a health ego," he stated as the waitress placed two glasses in front of her. "Give us a few minutes. We have a friend joining."

Toni had almost forgotten about Rogers joining them, and she was not looking forward for that. She couldn't even last a few minutes with him without an insult or a lecture. "He better hurry. I'm hungry," she chuckled.

"Where do you put it all?" he asked, looking her over. They had stopped to eat once before and she out ate him, which was very difficult. He could eat.

Toni simply smiled.

"And there's that face."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's with my face?" she asked. "I think my face is just fine!" Her voice carried, making a few heads turn. Blood pooled in her cheeks as she felt eyes on her. Barnes laughed, making her turn around. She tried to calm down by distracting herself by the people on the streets. Just as she was about to turn around, she noticed someone on the corner. _He looks familiar._ She thought to herself.

"Are you okay?" Barnes asked, noticing that something was up with her.

She turned back to him. "Fine," she smiled. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as she tried to remember where she saw that man from.

"Are you sure?" he asked, inching him hand closer to her.

"Crystal," she said, tensed. It came back at her like a ton of bricks. She remembered where she had seen him before: the hardware shop. Earlier Barnes and she had visited the shop, and she thought she was going crazy when she had spotted the same man outside looking at her. She had thought she was paranoid, but now, she knew she wasn't. "I'll be back. Have to use the little girl's room," she announced getting up. She didn't know why he was following her but she was going to find out.

The strange man turned and started to walk away.

"Okay," he smiled.

* * *

Toni didn't know how she had lost the man, but she had followed him down an alley ways before she lost him. "Shit," she cursed. "Now, that bastard got me lost." She looked around, trembling from the cold. She had forgotten to pick up the coat as she bolted out the dinner. Even if she did, Barnes would've notice and she didn't want to explain why she was chasing after some stranger.

Folding her arms against her chest, she tried to warm herself as she trekked back to the dinner, or at lease she tried to. She still had no idea of where she was. "Stupid Bastard," she muttered again, not caring about the weird looks she was getting. People had probably thought she was crazy and she would agree with them. She never thought things through at all, which often got her in trouble.

As she turned corner, she felt a pair of eyes on her and she turned quickly, looking for the eyes. "Where are you?" she asked. Her eyes scanned the crowd. "Wait," she breathed as she noticed a man shifted. She knew anyone can shift, but his shifting was uncomfortable and it drew her eyes. It was unnatural.

Not wanting him to know she was following, she turned slowly and eyed him until he was a few feet away. "You shouldn't do this, Stark," she told herself. It was very foolish to chase after someone when she had a broken arm, because it would be very easy to overtake her. As he turned a corner, Toni picked up her speed, so she wouldn't lose him. When she finally turned the corner, she noticed him was a few blocks around. "Shit," she cursed.

Just as she was about to run, someone placed her hand on her shoulder, which almost send her a few feet in the air. It made her want to punch the person in the face. No one touched her without permission. Toni turned to face the person, and to her surprised, Rogers was standing there. But much to her annoyance, she saw concern in his eyes. "Rogers."

"What are you doing out here without a coat? Why aren't you at the dinner with Barnes?" he asked. There was annoyance in his tone.

It pissed her off that he was mad at her. Why was he allowed to be angry at her for being out without a coat? She was a growth ass woman and she didn't need a parent. _Calm yourself,_ she told herself. She knew she shouldn't be angry at him for getting in her way as he didn't know she was following someone, but it was hard. "I'm fine," she said harshly.

He started to fuss with his jacket. "Do you-"

Toni eyed him. _He's really a sweet heart, isn't he_? "No, I don't, but thank you." She put on a smile, trying to not snap. Someone had been watching her and she had a chance to get him.

"Toni, I-"

She waved him off, but she knew he wouldn't be happy without an explanation. "I'm fine. I…just thought I saw someone I knew so I bolted out of the dinner, but I was wrong. I guess my memory is still fuzzy," she lied.

"I see."

"Let's get back to Barnes. He's probably worried."

"I bet he is."

* * *

When they got back to the dinner, Barnes didn't say anything to Toni, besides asking if she fell in. He didn't say anything about her disappearance during the whole meal, but she knew he was curious. He had eyed her the whole time, and it made Toni feel slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to talk about it in front of Rogers, and it was clear that Barnes didn't want to either.

"So how was your day, Bucky?" Rogers asked, after he had finished his meal. He was sitting next to Toni, who was picking at her food. She hadn't eaten too much.

"I got everything that I needed done today," he stated as he pushed his dish away. "But I think Toni's day was better."

Toni looked up from her dish and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why? What happened?" Rogers asked, looking at her.

"I got a job at Nick's Tools and Garden," she answered. When she had entered the hardware shop, she didn't think she would walk out with the job, but she didn't mind. It would give her access to the tools she could use to fix her reactor (not that she thought it was possible) and unnamed device if she ever got it back from her father.

"I tell you, Steve. This one's a genius," Barnes said.

Toni took a deep breath. "I don't know if I would call myself that." Yes, she would call herself that to anyone would listen, but she didn't need James Barnes to tell her that. She knew already. She had countless IQ tests done on her since she was small. She had been putting mainframes together since she was four. But they didn't need to know that.

"I thought Nick was going to explode when you went calculated all that stuff in your head," Barnes stated. "It was unbelievable so see her calculate every person's in that buildings total in her head."

Rogers looked at her. "Why did she do that?"

"Nick pissed me off and I wanted to proof I could, so I did," Toni smiled.

"And after that, he offered me a job," Toni smiled.

"I never want to piss you off," Barnes said. "You bite."

"Bite hard," Toni added with a smile. She took a look at Barnes, who was still eyeing her. _Does he expect something?_ She wondered. She knew Rogers, Mr. Nice, would never expect anything from a lady, but that could not be same as a Barnes, who seemed to be already expecting something.

All of the sudden, she felt a pair of eyes on her again, and she turned toward the window. There he was again, staring at her.

* * *

Big Smile. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Updated: 6/11/2013


	10. Last Resort

Hey all. I hope you didn't wait too long.

Same thing as always: I do not own Marvel.

* * *

Chapter 10:

Last Resort

* * *

_Steve sat at Toni's hospital bed watching her chest move up and down slowly, which only made his heart beat a little too fast. She had been in a coma for the last few days, and they had no clue of when she would wake up or if she would ever wake up. That scared the shit out of him. He didn't know how or when he fell for the rowdy brunette, but he fell hard for her. He didn't know what he would do if she didn't recover. _

"_Toni," he begged, "please, wake up." His voice was weak. "I...I…" He wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn't tell her even if she was unconscious and unable to hear him. He didn't want her to reject him, because he wouldn't be able to take it. He couldn't believe she would want him over the handsome funny Barnes, who was missing from her bed side. He closed his eyes as he tried to rid himself of the negative thoughts he was thinking. Bucky was his best friend and he would not turn on him, especially not over a girl, but he should be here. How could he leave her alone? Did he not care?_

_His mind wandered back to how she had gotten hurt. "I failed to protect you," Steve stated, feeling ashamed of himself. He had promised himself when he first met her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her as he could tell even then that she was special, but he failed her and he felt sick. "I'm so sorry." His hid his face his hands as he tried to stop the tears. It was his fault that she was injured. He was too worried about protesting her than the mission at hand and she got hurt because he was distracted._

"_How long have you been here?" Steve asking, sensing someone at the door. His eyes were focused on the glow in her chest, which he just learned about. _Did she always have that? _He wondered._ What is the purpose of that?

_Bucky stepped into the room and looked at Toni. "A few minutes," he stated softly. His eyes were focused on the many wires connected to her. "Maybe, you should get some sleep."_

_Steve looked up at Bucky, as he tried to hold back his glare, which he was failing at. He had also blamed Bucky for this, even if it really wasn't his fault. He knew Toni wouldn't blame any of them as injuries were common in warfare, and she had agreed to the risks when she went out with them. "I don't sleep much now," he replied bitterly. Ever since he had become a super soldier, many things had changed for him. He couldn't get drunk and he slept less, which was something he was getting used to. "And I'm not going to leave her."_

_Bucky took a deep breath. "You need to rest," he stated as he folded his arms across his chest._

"_I can't rest," he replied with a deep breath._

"_She wouldn't want you to worry like this."_

_Steve was really getting pissed at Bucky. "I'm not going to leave her like you did," he snapped as he stood up._

_Bucky took a step back, knowing he couldn't take a pissed off Captain America in hand to hand combat. "I didn't want to leave her, but there were other lives in danger, who needed me. And besides, she told me to, well more like yelled at me. She's scary when she wants to be." He shook his head. "Why don't you go see Peggy? I know she wants to see you. I can sit with Toni," he offered. _

_If it was possible, Buck's offer made his angrier. "Why would I leave her with you?" he asked. _

_He gave Steve a weird look. "You do know that Toni and I-" he started. _

_Again, Bucky was pissing him off. It wasn't anything official and they were only flirting, which just annoyed Steve. He saw her first; plus, Bucky didn't even like her at the beginning. "Then where were you the last few days?" he asked. "You left her again. She was here by herself." When Steve arrived at her hospital bed, she was alone. _

"_There were other things that I had to do first." He paused as he thought about something. "And aren't you with Peggy or something?" he asked._

"_No!..." There was a pause as he shook his head. "No, I am not..." Yes, there was a part of him that wanted to be with Peggy as she was respectful, beautiful and smart. She was the perfect woman, and she was the woman that everyone thought he would end up with. Toni on the other hand wasn't perfect or the ideal woman that people pictured with him. Yes, she was smart, too smart by society's standards for the perfect wife, and beautiful, but she wasn't respectful at all. She acted like a man at times and talked her mind, even when she wasn't ask. There were people who didn't like it; however, he liked that about her. Yes, she annoyed him so badly, but she also drew him in. He wanted her, even if she would never want him. "We are just friends." However, there was still a part of him that wanted Peggy, and he couldn't forget that. _

"_That sounds reinsuring."_

_He looked as Bucky, wondering what made him so special in Toni's eyes. Was it his recklessness? Was it his experience (something that he didn't have)? Was it his jokes? What was it? "Why are you here?" he asked, as he tried to calm himself._

"_I came to see her," Bucky stated as he walked pass Steve and to the bed._

_Taking a deep breath, Steve eyed Bucky as he took a seat next to her. Bucky reached his hands toward hers, but their hands didn't touch. He had never seen Bucky like that with anyone and that shocked him. "Why do you even care?" he asked. His voice was soft._

_Bucky looked up before looking back at the glow in her chest. "She's special."_

"_I know." Steve watched her chest move up and down. "And I wouldn't call flirting a relationship," he added._

_Bucky laughed. "That's a late response. And we might be something more soon." He smiled weakly._

"_You have-" Steve never finished his sentence as alarms started to go off, shocking them both. For a second no one did anything as they didn't know what was going now. _

_Something clicked in Bucky's head and he bolted out the room. However, Steve still couldn't think straight as he watched her struggle. "Toni," he uttered as he eyed the monitors connected to her. Her heart was beating way too fast, and he didn't know what to do, but it didn't take long for someone who did to come in. Bucky followed in right behind the doctor._

"_Move out of the way," the Doctor stated as he pushed Steve out of the way. When he got to her, he lowered the bed, and it was in that instance that her heat stopped which took Steve's heart with it. "She's flat lining. I'm losing her," the doctor yelled to the nurses that Steve didn't notice come in._

Steve popped straight up, soak in sweat. He had had that nightmare many times before and it had always felt so real to him, but he wasn't sure if it was. There were so many past memories in his mind and it was hard to tell which was real or which was not. He hoped to hell that the memory wasn't real, because if something were to happen to her, he would die. "Maybe, Banner's right," he muttered to himself as he sat up on the couch, which he didn't remember falling asleep on. He had to give it to Toni, as she knew how to pick some comfortable couches to sleep on. He hadn't been able to sleep since Toni had disappeared, and he wasn't the only one.

When Banner had brought up time travel, Steve shot it down, saying it was downright crazy; however, he had thought it had merit. His memories from the 1940's, which he wasn't too sure about, had Toni in them. Steve shook his head. It was those fuzzy memories that made him fall in love with her, even if the present day Toni was an asshole. If it wasn't for the same glow in memory Toni's chest, he would think they were different people. Shaking his head, he tried to get her out if his mind. Thinking about her only made him feel worse.

His tried to think of the other avengers. Banner had basically locked himself in one of the many labs in Stark's Tower (Steve knew it annoyed Toni when they refer to it as the Avenger's Tower). Romanoff and Barton were off trying to trace those devices that were stolen from Black Hawk as they could have something to do with Toni's disappearance. Director Fury had some of his Shield Scientist and agents looking for some way to get Toni back. Each of them were coming up with nothing.

Steve took a deep breath as he made his way down to the lab that Banner had locked himself in. He should have told Banner the truth when he brought up the time travel idea, instead of keeping it to himself. It was important. He knew he was going to get a lecture when he told Bruce. How could he be that stupid and not tell him about that important information? Shaking his head, he took a deep breath as he arrived at the doors to the lab. The doors were, like Stark's own personal lab, made out of glass; however, they weren't given a horrible paint job. He entered without having to enter a code as no code was required.

Banner was hard at work, trying to recreate the device that Toni made. He had her blue prints, which could've been in another language for all Steve knew, in front of him. "Yes, Steve?" Banner asked.

He took a look the Doctor, who had not looked back. Banner's eyes were focused on the failed object in front of him. "How's that going?" Steve asked, not wanting to admit the truth. He usually didn't do stupid shit like he did. He would leave the stupid shit to the other avengers.

Banner put down the tools and turned to him. "What's going on, Steve?" he asked.

"I know where Stark is," he stated as he took a seat in one of the many chairs. To his surprise, it was very uncomfortable, and he almost forgot what he was going to say.

"What are you talking about?" Banner asked as he stared hard at Steve.

"I know which time period she is in," Steve answered, explaining everything that he knew, which wasn't all that much. As he watched Banner's face change, he became worried that he would have to fight the Hulk. That was one fight he didn't know if he would win.

"What the hell were you thinking, Steve?" he yelled. "We could have used that information."

"Banner, calm down."

"Afraid of the big guy?" he asked. There was a hint of laugher in his anger that Steve wasn't expecting.

Steve stood up as he did not want to be sitting down if Banner were to attack. He didn't blame the doctor for his anger management skills, because he knew that it was hard for him to control the beast. Plus, he had a right to be angry. "I didn't know what I was thinking, but…" He paused so he could breathe and think for a second. "I didn't know what to make of the memories. I had two sets of memories and I don't know what were real. And they are always changing." He exhaled slowly as the memory of Toni in a hospital bed filled his mind. "I'm sorry."

The doctor eyed him and Steve wondered what was going through Banner's head. He didn't say anything for a few seconds as if he was trying to think of what to say. Banner took a deep breath. "I bet," he stated. His tone was soft, which surprised Steve. "It's me who should be sorry." He paused. "Time travel is such a tricky thing and there's no telling what she's doing and how she's changing the timeline. I can't begin to understand what that feels like to have everything change on you."

Sitting back down, Steve took a deep breath again. "I should've told you."

"It isn't a big deal which time period she is in, if I can't get this thing to work," he stated as he crossed back to the device, that couldn't even hold power.

"If this doesn't work? What else is there?" Steve asked. He closed his eyes as he tried to recall a memory of Toni. He couldn't remember anything past that one. He didn't even know if the doctor had brought her back. Would any of this be worth it?

"What's going on in your head?" Banner asked as he noticed that he was losing Steve's attention.

"The last thing that I remember about S-Toni from that time is her flat-lining. I don't know…." He drifted off as he couldn't finish his sentence.

Banner's face fell as he couldn't take the idea of her dying either. She was his closest friend, and he didn't know what he would do if he lost that. "We'll get her back."

It took Steve a few seconds to respond. "Yes, we will." He smiled slightly as he recalled how stubborn she was. She would be back even if it killed her…he hoped to God it didn't.

* * *

Directory Fury was still pissed, but there was hardly a time that he wasn't pissed. However, he hadn't calmed down since he had learned that someone had stolen from Shield, from him. No one stole from him and got away from it. To make matters worse, someone was using those items to mess with his team, and no one messed with his team but him. Though Stark annoyed the hell out of him, he wouldn't let anything happen to her, unless she deserved it. He doubted that it would ever come to that, but again, he had to play it safe.

"So did you speak to Thor?"

Fury, who was staring intensely out of the room, turned to see Agent Hill walk into the room. She wasn't his biggest fan, but she respected him, which was all that he needed. "I had, but there wasn't much he could do himself. He had no idea of how portals work, even though he uses one to get here." He took a deep breath. "I didn't think there was anything he could do in the first place."

Maria Hill looked at him sideways. "Then why did you ask?"

He turned back to the window and stared out into the endless sky. "Loki."

That startled her. "You think he can help?"

Loki had been locked up tight since he had tried to destroy New York City. "There's a chance he can help, or if not, there is also a chance he knows who did this." Yes, he knew the likelihood that Loki would help them was low and Loki would want something in return if he did, but Fury had to do something.

"And you think that's a good idea?" she asked. There was no anger in her voice, but he knew she was pissed that he was trying to get help from Loki, who had almost taken over the world.

"It's only a matter of time before something that's stronger than Loki comes. When that does, we'll need all of the Avengers." Fury took a deep breath. "It's for the best."

"All due respect, Sir, but horrible things had been done because someone thought it was for the best."

He turned to her and studied her. If Stark's disappearance (he wasn't too sure about the whole time-traveling idea) and the break in at Black Hawk wasn't related it would be quite coincidence, and he didn't believe in coincidences. "What do you suggest I do Agent Hill?" he asked.

"Do you think Loki is behind this?" she asked, not answering his question.

Fury did not call her out on it. "Anything is possible, but I do not think so."

"You aren't sure and you're going to have Thor bring him here?" she asked.

"No, I do not have any plans on bringing him back to Earth," Fury answered. He wasn't sure there was any cell on this planet that could hold that man, and he wasn't going to take that chance, not for Stark.

"Then how?" she asked, clearly confused.

Fury crossed to his desk and stated at the papers on it. "Loki has the ability of illusions."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know."

He looked back toward her. "With Thor's help, he should be able to transport an illusion to Stark using the Bifrost." He could tell she wasn't too sure of the plan.

"What good would that do?" Agent Hill asked.

Fury looked at her, trying to read what she was thinking. "It will allow us to get some idea of where she is and how we can get her back. We might need her brain for that."

"Okay. And wouldn't Thor be taken a big risk doing that? He would have to let his brother out."

She had a lot of questions. He didn't like questions. "Thor is looking at this as a chance of redemption for his brother." He took a pause to breathe. "He does, however, understand that this is a risk."

"You're willing to let them risk their home?"

Fury didn't feel guilty about that. Sure, he wanted nothing to become of their world, but he wasn't going to let anything happen to theirs. "Yes."

* * *

It had taken a few minutes for Bruce to talk Steve down from his mood and get him out of the lab so he could work. It was very hard to do anything with Steve around, which annoyed them both. He knew Steve was feeling useless right about now as there was nothing he could be doing. Steve wasn't stupid by any means, but he wasn't genius. He didn't understand anything about what Toni was building. Toni and Bruce could have whole conversions in front of Steve and he would not have a clue to what they were saying. Toni thought it was funny, though Bruce didn't think it was. He took a deep breath. He could keep himself busy, trying to recreate the device, but Steve could not. Steve was good, no great, in the field, calling out strategies; however, in the lab, he was not. They both knew it.

However, with this new information about Steve's memory, there was something that he could do. Bruce had sent him out to draw and/or write everything that he could remember of those memories. If they could get a better idea of what was happening to Toni, there was a better shot that they could get her back.

Bruce turned back to the device, which hated him. He didn't usually projected emotions on objects like Toni did, but he was willing to make an exception for this. This device hated him. He didn't know how Toni was even able to get it to hold power. Jarvis had showed him a few the videos of Toni working on it, but it could only help so much. The two devices may look the same but he couldn't get his to work. He looked at the picture. "Even if we could get it working, we would need a lot of power." He looked at the blue prints, trying to look for any clue how she did it. "How did she power this?" he asked.

"Miss Stark has connected the device to an arch reactor," Jarvis answered. "However, the device drained the reactor and fried all the circuits, making it impossible to repair."

That startled Bruce. "She connected it to the reactor in her chest?" he asked. He didn't think she would take a stupid risk like that.

"No, she did not but there is no telling what had happened to the reactor in her chest, Sir. She did take precautions, but I am afraid that it was not enough."

That frightened Bruce. He knew Toni had programmed Jarvis to have some emotion, but Bruce had not witness them so strongly. "What are the chances her reactor survives that?" he asked, looking over the blue prints again.

"The failure rate is calculated at 85.2%."

That was way too high for Bruce's liking and he closed his eyes remembering what Steve had told him. Steve had seen her flat lining. He was glad that didn't have that memory. "It would be fried much like the reactor upstairs?" he asked.

"I cannot say for certain. Again, she did take precautions, which could have protected it from being permanently damage."

"How long can she survive without the reactor?"

"Only a few minutes, Sir."

"But she doesn't need an arch reactor, right? I remember her once telling me she was once hooked up to a car battery." Bruce took a seat as he tried to figure out if there was a way he could save her.

"That is correct. And if needed, it can be done again."

"She's resourceful. She will probably figure it out on her own." He reached for the unfinished, nonworking device. "So if we are able to get enough power to this, we should be able to travel back to Toni."

"Yes, it is possible."

Bruce reached to one of the touch screens monitors and started a few calculations. He needed to how much power this device needed to run.

"Can I suggest the same thing you suggested to Captain Rogers?"

Bruce took a deep breath and looked up as he didn't know where to look. "I don't need rest," he lied. He knew he needed rest just as bad as Steve did. "But Steve isn't resting either."

"Sir,-"

"I know, I know." Bruce stated as he waved him off. He knew he needed to rest, and it would only hurt Toni in the end. She needed him at his best and this was not his best. Closing his eyes, he knew he was tired and his mental functions weren't at this best. "I'll go rest."

"Thank you, Sir."

* * *

I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. I know it is a small chapter but I should have a larger one out by Friday! :)...Hopefully anyways.


	11. The Fear of the Tail

Hello. I am a day later than I promised but I wanted to look over it again. :)

I hope you enjoy this. Same thing as always, I do not own Marvel...which is sad.

* * *

Chapter 11:

The fear of the Tail

* * *

If one more man slapped her ass, Toni was going to rip off his arm, slap him with it, and then shove it down his throat. She didn't care that she had a broken arm, which was feeling better each day, or that she only weighed 100 pounds, she was going to beat each one of those assholes, who touched her ass. She didn't care that she was sex on legs as they had no right to touch her without her permission, and believe her, none of them had her permission.

Toni put back the hammer that some asshole had changed his mind about when he was checking out. He had given her his best smile that he could muster and asked her in the most annoying manly voice he could if she wanted to go out with him. She politely told him no, but that didn't work as this was the third time that he had done that. He had come in every day for the last few days and had done the same thing, which was really pissing her off. She had told Nick about it, but he just waved it off as nothing. He was happy about the increase in sales that Toni brought it and didn't want to start a fight with anyone by addressing it.

"All men are assholes," she muttered as she took a seat behind the front desk. When she got the cast off, Nick had agreed to let her do more tasks, but for now, he had her seated behind the counter to ring people out. It also made her the first person people see when they walked by, which annoyed the hell out of her. Since they were located a couple of blocks down from a few bars, a lot of drunken man would walk by, and nine out of ten times, they would come in just to bug her. She didn't know what it was or what gave them the idea that it was okay to sexually harass her, but it really needed to stop. It was making her go crazy, and if she didn't need this job, she would pick up the hammer that she had just put back and bang their faces in with it.

With a big greedy smile, Nick walked out from his office and handled Toni an envelope. "Here's your money for the week," he said with a smile.

Toni thanked him before taking the envelope that was filled with cash. Considering this was the 1940's, it wasn't a large amount, but Toni was okay with anything. Plus, she was glad that he was willing to pay her under the table, because there wouldn't be any other way. Even if she knew what her SSN, it would be no good. "Thanks," she said as she pocketed the cash in her gray dress.

"I'll lock up tonight," he stated as he walked past her.

That was fine with her, because she didn't want to be here any longer than she needed to be. "K," she replied as she crossed to the coat hanger for _Rogers'_ coat. She had promised herself that she would buy herself a coat as soon as she got enough money, because she didn't want to keep borrowing Rogers' coat. Maybe, she could do that now, because she didn't want to keep relying on him. After putting on _his_ coat, she reached down for her bag, which obtained a few tools that Nick had let her take. He had asked why she needed them, but she just told him it was for a project. "I'll be back tomorrow."

He looked up from the cash he was counting. "You can take the day off tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" she asked. It really didn't matter to her as it gave her time to scope out Stark Industries. If she wanted to get her device back, she would need to know everything about the company, a company that she would ran and sign over in the future.

"Yes," he stated without giving any explanation. "And I'm sorry about the asshole earlier. I will talk to him about it."

"Thanks," Toni stated, not expecting Nick to do that. She exited the shop with a smile on her face. Walking outside, she took a look around just to make sure she wasn't being followed. She hadn't seen her stalker, the guy who had been tailing her since the diner, in the last few days and that had her worried. Did he already have what he wanted? Did she scare him off? Or worse, was he still watching her and she not know it? That freaked her every time she thought about it and she hated that feeling.

It was already dark out, like it always was when she got off work. She hated that. Right now, she really missed Happy as he would never allow her to walk alone in the dark. At first, she loathed how protective he was, but now, she missed it. She also missed her Iron Man Suit. O' god, she missed the suit, as she didn't remember how she lasted without it.

Shaking her head, she started her long walk to the apartment, and she almost jumped five feet in the air when she noticed someone leaning against a building. She couldn't see his face as it was covered in shadows. Toni was ready to reach in her bag for the hammer in case she needed to bang someone's face in. "Who's there?" she asked, trying to hide her nerviness.

The man stepped into the light with his hands in the air, revealing who he was. "Relax," Barnes stated as he smiled at her. "It's just me."

Toni shook her head, feeling like an idiot. Why was she acting like his? She wasn't normally like this. "I just-"

Barnes interrupted her. "Thought that I was someone else?" he finished. "So who would you expecting?" he asked, eyeing the hammer's handle (the only part he could see).

"I thought you…were…someone else." She said slowly. She didn't want to admit that she was afraid _and_ that someone was stalking her.

"You know you can tell me the truth, right?" he asked as he looked around. "If someone's bothering you, you can tell me." Barnes had protective look in his eyes that Toni didn't understand. "I can take care of him for you."

"You didn't even like me at first, so why are you Mr. Protector?" she asked. "What changed?" She didn't understand what was going on, and that annoyed her.

"I was mistaken at first about you," he replied with a sexy smile. "But you can tell me if someone's bugging you."

Toni took a deep breath. "Why do you think someone's bugging me?" She didn't think she was that freaken readable, which also irritated her. That was the last thing she wanted. She fought the urge to look around, as she was felt eyes on her at that moment. Maybe, she was just imagining it.

"I can see how uncomfortable you are, and I have noticed how jittery you get when you go out by yourself."

Toni really didn't want to talk about this anymore and started the walk to the apartment again. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. She was grateful to Barnes for coming to walk her home, but she didn't want him to know that.

Getting over the shook of Toni just walking away from him, it took Barnes a few seconds for him to catch up with her. "Geez, slow down," he stated, giving her a smile again. "You don't have to be so scared."

She stopped suddenly and turned to him. "I, Toni Stark, do not get scared," she snapped rapidly. It took her a few seconds to realize what she had just said. _Maybe, he won't notice_, she prayed to herself, but she wasn't that lucky.

He looked at her. "Did you just say Stark? As in Stark Industries?"

Toni could see the shock in his eyes. "No, no," she denied, unsure of what to really say. "Did I say Stark?" she asked. "I meant Sark." She tried to laugh it off.

"Sark?" Barnes looked at her as if he didn't believe her. "That makes sense. If you were really a Stark, why would you be staying with two random guys at a rundown apartment?"

"I wouldn't say rundown," she stated. It had a homely feeling that she wished she had at her place. She took her deep breath as she continued her walk.

She was a fast walker and Barnes had to run to catch up with her. "So, you remember now?" he asked.

Trying not to look at him, she stated at the sidewalk in front of her. The bag was starting to get heavy and it made it awkward to walk. "It's coming back slowly." She was annoyed at herself for that lie. It was stupid and it was hard to believe that anyone fell for it. Out of the corner of her eyes, she eyed him. "It….is weird."

Barnes took a deep breath. "You know I'm not falling for that memory loss, right?" he asked.

Toni cracked a small smile as she stared at the ground. "I knew it was stupid." She was beginning to worried, because she would have nowhere to go if Barnes didn't let her stay with him and Rogers. "What gave it away?"

"You know you can't keep everything in? You have to let it out or you're going to explode." He didn't answer her question.

She shook her head as she expected him to be mad. "Not in my family," she stated as she picked up her speed to get away from him. She needed to figure out what she was going to do.

Barnes reached toward her. "You can't do this. You need to let people in. You need to talk to people, especially when you think someone's after you." He shook her head as his hand changed direction.

Toni glared at him as she saw him reached for her. It took her while to figure out that he was going after her bag, which annoyed her as well. She didn't need him to carry her bag, but she didn't fight him when he took it from her. "I can take care of myself."

"Never said you couldn't."

Shaking her head, she continued her walk slowly. It would do no good in trying to get away from him, because he wasn't going to let her. "it's just a guy from work who doesn't understand the word no," she lied. She knew someone was watching her and it was more than a guy in love. She just had to figure out who it was and why he was following her. Did it have to do with Colonel Salty? She hoped so. At lease, she would know he was a good guy…though she wondered if that would be a good thing.

"I can show him my fists if that helps," he stated as he smiled at her.

He was showing his teeth, and she had to give it to him; he had a sexy smile. She had already thought that, but now, she was sucked in with it. "So why did you let Rogers believe that I lost my memory?" she asked. He had gotten her curious.

"You didn't want to talk about it and I can see that. I don't know what it is, but I know it can't be good." Barnes took a deep breath. "And I know Steve wouldn't have dropped it if you didn't tell him something." He ran his hand through his hair. "He can be so annoying some times. Sometimes, I just want to…" He drifted off.

Though Rogers pissed her the hell off, it irritated her to hear his best friend say that, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to start with a fight with a man, who if she thought about it, she didn't really trust. She didn't care if he was a sex god. As she looked him over, she cursed her body's desire to jump him. _WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?_ She knew she couldn't have him, which made him so much more desirable. She always had a thing for men she couldn't have. Shaking her head, she knew it was stupid to fall for a guy who was going to die.

In ten minutes, they arrived outside of the apartment. "You need to tell him, Barnes" she stated, trying to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about her anymore.

He looked at her weird, hearing his last name out of her month. "He doesn't need to know," he stated as he unlocked the front door to the apartment.

As he opened the door for her, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're leaving in three days. I think he would notice you disappearing."

"I know."

She shook her head as she entered the building. "You better tell him." She wanted to say 'or else I would', but she didn't want to pull that card. Plus, it wasn't her job to do so. It was someone else's because she wasn't supposed to be here in the first place.

"I will tomorrow."

* * *

The Next Morning, Toni had no inkling of why she thought it would be good idea to make breakfast for the guys when she had a broken arm, an arm that she was glaring at in the hopes that it would get better by magic. She burnt the bacon, which she could deal with as crispy bacon was the best; however, the eggs were a different story. Toni had completely burn them, which just pissed her off. She picked up the pan from the stove, which took her awhile to figure how to turn on (she didn't think it was a stove to begin with) and threw the pan in the trash. She had burnt the pan beyond repair in her eyes. "I'll buy them a new one," she muttered to herself. Every cent was important, but she didn't like to be in anyone debt. She didn't want to owe anyone anything.

"So I guess, they're just getting bacon," she said to herself as she plated the meat. Shaking her head, she turned to the sink and turned the water on.

"I don't think you should get your cast wet."

Toni turned to see Rogers who had a curious look in his eyes. She wasn't sure how long he was standing there, watching her. The shrimp Rogers was so much quieter in his movements than the giant Captain Rogers. He had been able to sneak up on her a few times, which irritated her. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath as it seemed everything he did annoyed her. She knew he was trying his best to get her to like him, and if she didn't know the future Rogers, she would like him, but she can't get the future asshole out of her mind. However, if he really knew her, he wouldn't care if she liked him. He wasn't the only asshole; she was one too, but bigger. "It's fine," she stated as she waved him off.

She turned back to Rogers and reached into the sick. "Fuck," she cursed as she made the water too hot.

"For a lady, you have a mouth," Rogers stated as he walked over to her. As he took the pan from her, he didn't notice the glare she was giving him.

She stepped away rather than fight with him, because it wasn't worth it. "Why thank you," she said instead. "I enjoy my mouth. Guys do as well." Toni intended for that to be dirty.

"Um…" Rogers looked up from the dishes and stared at her with large eyes and rosy cheeks. He didn't know what to say to that and that did make Toni laugh. He was innocent as ever. He turned away from her a few seconds later as he couldn't face her with his deep cherry red face. "Burn the eggs?" he asked, changing the subject.

Letting him do so, she smiled at him. "I should just stay out of the kitchen, right?"

"Or until your arm gets better."

His back was toward her and she could see how stressed he was. "So where's Barnes?" she asked. Though she never saw him leave, she knew he wasn't here. She would've seen him by now.

He glanced toward her as he washed the dishes. It didn't seem like he had any interest in eating the bacon, which was okay with her. She could eat it all herself. "He left early."

Toni sighed as that meant he still didn't tell Rogers that he was leaving yet. She really didn't want to be involved in that conversation or be around when that happened. "Any idea of when he'll be back?" she asked. Maybe, if she timed it right, she could be gone when that happened.

Rogers turn and Toni's breath got stuck in her throat. His right eye was black and blue. She wondered why she didn't notice it before. "I don't know. Nowadays, I don't know what he's up to." He smiled weakly at her.

"What happened to you?" Toni asked worried. She was ready to beat the asshole that attacked Rogers. No one was allowed to mess with him but her.

Not answering her, he stepped away from the sink and to the pan she threw away. He eyed it curiously but he didn't say anything.

Toni crossed to the freezer in the rush for some ice. "Let's put something on that," she stated. To her lucky there was an old fashion ice pouch, which was probably a sign that Rogers got hurt a lot. She didn't understand why he did that. What was the point in fighting if he was going to lose? "Go sit down," she ordered, as she tried to project Pepper.

Rogers turned to her and he could see the worry in her eyes. "I'm fine," he stated. "My eye will heal on its own." He watched her as she walked toward him. "This isn't the first time I got a black eye."

Switching the ice bag to her broken left hand, she felt him flinch as she grabbed his hand. Ignoring that and his rapid heartbeat (which she could feel through her grasp), she pulled him to the couch and sat him down. She wasn't going to hold it against him, as she knew he was innocent and naive unlike her; he wasn't comfortable around women. After she had him sitting, she pressed the cold compact to his face. She felt him jump at her touch but he didn't pull away. Though he couldn't really look at her with the pouch on his face, she felt his eyes on her.

After a few seconds, Rogers closed his eyes in awkwardness. He sat straight back against the couch as she sat on her knees at his side. Her body was inches from him. "How did you get this?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "There was this guy who was mouthing off. I told him to shut it and he didn't like that."

Toni shook her head. "Why do you get into fight you can't win?" she asked. The future Rogers popped into her mind. It had appeared that nothing had changed, well beside the fact that he could win fights in the future. She felt him sigh in annoyance. She knew he must've been asked this question a lot and that he had been in a few fights with Bucky over it. He tried to pull away from her, but Toni wouldn't let him. She dropped the bag and held him. They both knew he wasn't going to fight her. "You had asked me to talk. Why can't I ask you to talk?" she asked.

Rogers looked down at the ice on his lap. "I do this because it's right." He turned to look her in the eyes. "I do this because it isn't right for me to do nothing. I have a part to play in this world and I'm going to play it." He had light smile on his face.

She knew what he was feeling. "Is there a point where you're going to give up?" she asked. She knew he already tried to enlist a few times, but each time, he was turned down. "The odds are against you."

He shook his head. "You wouldn't understand," he said as he pulled her away from her slowly. Her hand had moved to his leg, which stopped him from pulling away.

"You would be amazed at what I understand," she stated as she picked up the ice bag and placed it against his eye. "I understand what it means to have everyone doubt you and to have the odds against you. My ego kept me going, but I think you have something better, more important, keeping you going." She smiled at him. "And I don't think you should give up. I think you're made for something special." She could say that because she knew the truth; however, even if she didn't, she could see it in him. _But should you be saying that to him?_ She asked herself.

Rogers looked at her with a smile. "You are something."

"Why thank you," she stated, still holding the ice against his face. "But you need to be smart about it."

"I know."

This was the Rogers she could handle. Why couldn't the future one be this sweet and soft instead of the righteous asshole, who yelled at her for everything?

Rogers reached up to take pack from Toni. "I got this," he stated.

Toni took a deep breath and let him take it. She did her best to ignore the feeling of his hand on hers. Once she was sure he had it, she let it go and got off the couch. It was then that she realized how close she was to him. Turning away from him, she hid her face as she didn't want him to see her red face. She didn't want Steve Roger to know that he did this to her. "I got the kitchen," she stated, changing the subject.

"But your cast," Rogers protested.

"I made the mess. I can clean it," she stated. When she was sure her red cheeks were gone, she turned to him with a smile. Her arm was feeling better and though she was overshooting, she could be getting it off in a few weeks. "You worry too much," she smiled as she waved the cast.

Rogers stood up and walked to her. "I got this," he stated as he took the pan from her. He put the ice pack down.

"Men," she spouted as she walked away. She didn't see smile him but she knew he was smiling. This was the first conversation that they had together since the diner. Though she wouldn't admit it, she had been avoiding him as she was waiting for him to yell at her. Taking a deep breath, she took a seat on the couch. The tools that she had brought were hidden in a bag under the table, which the guys hadn't noticed yet.

"Geez," he stated, with a hint of laugher. "I feel insulted."

Toni turned toward Rogers, who was wearing a large smile. That smiled warmed her up, unlike what Barnes' smile did to her. Barnes made her feel hot, while Rogers made her feel safe, even if he couldn't really protect her at this time. She loved that feeling, but she didn't want to admit that. Shaking her head, she turned to the table. _I wanted to avoid this,_ she thought to herself. She didn't want to get close enough to him to make an impression.

"Since you don't work today, do you-" Rogers started but the door silenced him. In came Barnes with a smile on his face. Over his shoulder, he held a bag, which held some kind of clothes. "Hey, Bucky."

Toni shifted on the couch so she could look at Barnes. She could see some tension in his shoulders and she knew he was going to tell Rogers the truth. She did not want to be here for that. "Hey, Barnes," she started as she stood up. "Where have you been?" she asked.

He gave her his signature smile. "Off putting my affairs in order." He had a way about him, which could calm anyone.

"Why would you be doing that?" Rogers asked. "Is something going on?"

That was her clue to go. "I'm going for a walk," Toni stated loudly as she walked to the closest. She grabbed Roger's coat and put it on. Barnes eyed her the whole time, knowing why she was leaving. She didn't want to be here for the argument that was about to happen.

"Toni," Rogers called. She was at the door before he called her name. "Toni." Again, he had a special way of saying her name that drove her crazy. "Where are going? What's going now?"

"Just be careful," Barnes said to her. He took few feet toward Rogers as he stepped to the right, blocking Rogers' view of her. For that, she was grateful as she didn't want to see his face. She knew that Rogers knew that something was wrong. "We need to talk, Steve."

With that, Toni was out the door. She could hear yelling the second she reached the stairs and she was glad she wasn't there. Though she yelled and fought a lot, she hated it. Growing up that was all she heard from her parents.

* * *

Finding Stark Industries was easier than Toni first thought. She didn't know why she thought it be so hard, considering how big her father was at this time. She couldn't go down the street without hearing his name, which was annoying. His building, not as impressive as her tower, was huge and could be notice from a few miles away. The Stark logo wasn't as big as she thought it could be, but it drew enough attention from the people around. The color of the building was dreadful though, but she doubted that her father really cared what color his building was.

Toni took a seat across the street as not to draw attention to her. If her father did have the device, he would know she would be coming for it and would have this security team keep an eye out for her. Again, Peggy could be lying and this could be a trap, but she had no choice. She needed that device or she would be stuck here….

Her mind drifted to what she would do if she got stuck in the past. She couldn't work in that hardware store forever or she would go crazy, but what else could she do? She could try to get a job at Stark Industries and outsmart her father at every chance she got just to piss him off, but she knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Plus, she couldn't really stand him and she didn't want to see him every day.

Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind and focused on the task at hand. She needed to study and examine Stark Industries for a way in. There were high fences around the complex and there were security guards that walked up and down the fence every few seconds. Though she couldn't tell from here, she knew there were cameras, so even if the guards missed something, the guys monitoring the cameras would not. There was only one way into the lot, and that was through a single check point. Each employee was required to have their badge before entering, and if the guards wanted to, they were able to search the vehicle without cause. They seemed to search them all though, but she spotted the one time the car was not. The guy who drove in must've been trusted.

The first thing first was getting her arm back, which she hoped would only be a few more weeks. She was pushing it, but she couldn't help it. She really couldn't stand the cast and she wanted to take a saw to it, but she knew better. Toni took a big breath as she knew she couldn't wait for her arm, so the first thing really was to study the security for holes. That would take a few long days of watching, but she had to do that. After she figured that out, she would need to get her hand on a badge. "I could tail an employee and swipe his card," she thought to herself. "However, he could notice it's gone and report it's missing. A stolen badge would get me caught."

She rubbed her temple. She would need to copy the badge, but that would be difficult. It all depended on type of security system that her father had. "Fuck," she muttered. A card cloner wasn't a problem as she could build a machine to hack her father's system. She had done it before. However, she didn't have the materials to build it. Yes, the hardware store gave her access to tools but she would need some computers parts, which was all but impossible to get in this decade.

Toni reached into her pocket and pulled out her broken smart phone, which wasn't totally beyond repair, but again, she didn't have the materials. However, she might be able to rework the parts. "I can do that when I get back to the apartment," she stated, hoping that Barnes and Rogers hadn't kill each other. Shaking her head, she stood up. She had so much planning that she needed to do. "Maybe, I should try and randomly get caught." Though she would have to tell them the truth (and risk the possibility that they would put her in a nut house), it might be the only way she could get her device back.

As she turned to leave, she noticed her stalker again, and this time he was smiling at her. How dare he smile at her like that!? "He's a horrible tail," she muttered as she started to walk. Maybe, she could get him in trapped. "Though the question is why he's so horrible?" she asked herself. Tails weren't supposed to be notice, and if Colonel Salty had ordered someone to follow her, why would they want her to know? Was it an attempted to fool her? Maybe, he wasn't the real tail. Then what was he?

Toni took a long look around, but she didn't notice anyone else tailing her, not that she expected to, because she really wasn't train to notice. She didn't know what she was looking for. She only noticed the sucky tail. She watched as he turned and walked away with his arms behind his back. Being the risky idiot that she was, Toni followed after him, without thinking about her safety.

It was getting dark but Toni didn't care because for the last hour, she had been following her stalker. Though she wasn't sure, she didn't think that he had spotted her, and this was a good opportunity to see what this guy was up. She could find out if he had been ordered to follow her by the Colonel. She knew the chance of that was low as no military tail should be this sucky. If he was, she would have to give Colonel Salty a talking to.

There was hesitation in her step as he turned down an alleyway; however, she was never one to turn away scared. Walking toward the alley, she tried to ignore her rapidly beating heart, but she was failing; however, she did not stop, because she did not play chicken. As she entered the alleyway, she wished her smart phone was working so she could use it as a light, but instead, she just played with it in her pocket. As she walked, the noises of the city begin to die down. It made her wonder if someone would hear her screams if she screamed. "Relax, Stark," she muttered to herself. "Stop thinking like that. Nothing's going to happen."

She took a deep breath as she tried to clear her minds of the negative thoughts. This reminded her of one of those scenes in a horror film. The type where the viewer says, 'you're an idiot for going into that dark alley alone.' Shaking her head, she put on a smile as she tried to hide her fear. She exhaled as she walked pass a dumpster, which was only a few feet away from the back of the alley way.

"That's strange," she stated as she took a long look around. She had seen the stalker come down the alley and there was no way out, so he had to be here. Sure it was dark, but it wasn't that dark, and she should've seen him leave. "How could I have lost him in the first place?" she asked. This stalker was supposed to be sucky. He was better than what she gave him credit for, and that worried her.

Toni turned to leave, but she didn't make it one foot as she was slammed against the brick up. The Stalker (she doubted it was anyone else) hadn't been gentle when he pinned her to the wall. Her head hit the wall, and it left her dazed for a seconds. She knew it would leave a mark, but that wasn't the only mark she would have. Her good arm was smashed into dumpster, while Rogers' jacket ripped. It caught on some metal piece sticking out. The metal piece wasn't long enough to cut her, but she did feel it drag against her skin. Her broken arm was pinned against her body in an uncomfortable position.

Without much thought, she swung her good arm, but he caught it easy and pinned it above her head. "It won't be that easy." There was a hint of laugher in his voice. "No lady can best me."

That pissed her the hell off, because she was just as good as any man. "Asshole," she yelled as she kneed him in the groin.

Like any guy would, he bent over in pain, but he still had a hand on her. "You Bitch," he yelped a he looked away. She saw this as an opening and head-butted him. They both cursed in pain, but he had let her go.

"You should stop talking about yourself," she replied with a heavy breath. "That isn't very nice." As soon as he let her go, she ran; however, she had only made it a few feet before he came to his senses. He had grabbed her from the back of her neck and ran her into the brick wall. Her face smashed into the wall and she couldn't do anything. She couldn't even open her eyes.

"You should just shut up," he hissed as he flipped her without much effort.

After she gained her sense back, she looked up to meet her attacker, who placed his hand firmly on her mouth to stop her from screaming or talking back. She could see the red mark on his face from her head butt, but it was his eyes that stopped her cold. He was staring deep into her eyes, looking for something, and she did her best to part up a front, though she didn't think it worked. His smirk cut her deep.

"Some would call it stupid to follow a stranger into a dark alley at night," the stalker stated. His voice was rough and emotionless, and that shocked her.

She refused to show how scared she was so she tried to focus on the smell of the nasty trash and not the emotionless voice. Maybe, the smell would put some other emotion besides fear in her. "Or smart," she retorted back.

He inched his face closer to hers. He could kiss her if he wanted to. "It's such a shame a pretty lady like yourself has to be caught up in this." There was a pause. "However, you need to work on being respectful. I guess my master would show you that."

Toni turned her head as not to look him in the eyes. "Did anyone tell you your breath smells?" she asked. She had wanted to ask him what he thought she was caught in and who this master was, but she decided not to play his game. "Do you not know what a toothbrush is?" She closed her eyes waiting to be hit, but it did not come.

However, he did grab her face and made her look into his eyes. "You should watch what you say."

"I never watch what I say. That's no fun," she stated, trying to give her best playful voice.

He laughed. "I see. However, you should be focus on-" The Stalker couldn't finish his sentence as he was ripped right off her and was thrown to the ground. Toni stumbled forward without anyone holding her.

She looked up to her savior, expect either Barnes or Rogers (not that she expected Captain Shrimp to be able to do that), but she didn't see either of them. The unfamiliar man was a big well-built man, who stood high and proud. That was a trait that Toni could respect. The only thing funny about him was his facial hair that covered half of his face; she wouldn't want to kiss that.

Toni caught him looking at her as if he was trying to judge her mental and physical health. She wasn't sure if he saw what he wanted but he was smiling at her. He turned to the Stalker, who hadn't gotten to his feet yet, and glared. As the stranger reached down to grab him, the Stalker rolled back and flipped out of the way. Before the stranger could react, Toni's tail bolted out of the alley.

Her savior looked at her. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back," he stated as he chased after him.

She closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he walked away. It was then that she started to fall apart. Her heart was beating was so fast that it was hard to breathe, forcing her to her knees. Every bad choice that she had made flashed before her eyes, sending her to a panic attack. Why did she think she could do this? Why did she always put herself in situations that she couldn't win? Did she not care? She could've gotten hurt or worse because she didn't think first. This was a why the Captain was always yelling at her.

"I…I…can't…breathe," she stated as she played with her collar, trying to loosen it. It was suddenly getting too hot, _and _it had started to snow again. "I don't know what to do. What am I doing?" Her Tail could've killed her and there was nothing she could've done. She wasn't able to protect herself. When he had her pin, her brain was useless and she couldn't do anything.

Taking deep breaths, she failed to calm herself down and tears started to fall. "I'm an idiot," she thought. He could've down anything he wanted, and it wasn't for that kind Stranger, he could have.

Shaking her head, Toni pushed herself up and wiped her eyes. She didn't want to wait for that man to come back. She needed to get away, far far away. She didn't want to be here anymore and she just wanted to go home, _her_ home in the future with the Avengers.

Getting on her feet, she did all but run out of the alley with no care how she looked or who she ran into.

* * *

Poor Toni. It looks like she is never going to get a break.

I hope you enjoyed the reading. And thanks for all the reviews!


	12. What Must be Done

Hey all. Long time? haha. I had this finished over a week...just took me awhile to get this upload.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. After this chapter, all the real fun will start! :)

* * *

Chapter 12:

What must be done.

* * *

Toni took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. She didn't want the guys to see her like this, but she knew she couldn't hide this from them. She was a mess inside and out; there was no way she could control her emotions in her present state. Maybe, Rogers would be too pissed to notice and Barnes would be too distracted by a pissed Rogers. O' god, she hoped so. She couldn't deal with their questions right now.

She held her right arm close to her body with her left hand as she walked up the steps to the apartment. She felt so weak that she wondered if she would ever succeed in getting back to her own time. How could she break into her father's company and steal back her device if she couldn't defend herself? How could she get past the guards like this?

As she reached the apartment door, her eyes were watering. "Stop being a baby," she yelled at herself as she wiped the tears. She needed to be strong and not a weakling. Taking a deep breath, she stepped to the door and pushed it slightly enough to slide through. She poked her head through the crack and to her joy, all the lights were off, which would make it easy to sneak in. She slipped through the door and closed the door softly behind her. Taking a deep breath, she headed to bathroom, where she could be alone, but she didn't make it too far.

"Toni," Rogers called, softly. Toni still jumped at the sound of his voice. After getting over her shock, it was cleared that he was worried.

She closed her eyes, daring not to look back at him. He couldn't see her like this. "Hey… Sorry, I'm late." she stated slowly. Her own voice sounded broken and shattered. There was no way he wouldn't be able to tell.

"Toni, are you okay?" Rogers took a few steps toward her.

"I'm fine." Her voice was betraying her; she hoped he wouldn't notice.

"Look at us," Barnes stated. It sounded like an order, which was something Toni didn't like. Out of principle, she would not listen.

"I'm fine." Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Just thinking about what had happened to her brought tears back to her eyes and chills to her bones. She took a deep breath, as she tried to forget the stalker's breath on her face.

Light flashed on startling Toni, but she didn't move. "Turn around, Toni," Barnes ordered. His voice was hard.

"Easy, Bucky," Rogers stated, turning to Barnes. It was clear that he didn't like Barnes' tone. He turned back to Toni. "Toni, what happened? You had us worried."

She might as well show them now and get this over with as they would notice soon enough. She took another deep breath, as she wiped her tears again. "You guys are worrying for nothing," she stated, turning around. She tried her best to put on a smile as she stared them down. With his arms folded across his chest, Barnes was leaning against the counter, and Steve was standing in front of the couch. She could see the looks on their faces when they laid eyes on her. She did not like it one bit.

"What happened?" Rogers asked, shock presented on his face. He took a few steps toward her, but stopped when he noticed the pain look on her face.

Barnes straightened himself up and walked to her. "Toni," he stated when he was only a few feet from her. He reached out to her, but she turned away. "He did this, didn't he?"

Toni closed her eyes as she took a few steps away from them. "Barnes," she muttered as she hid her face in her hands. She didn't want to them to see her like this.

"Did he?" he asked again, as he stepped to her. He pulled her toward him, and after a bit of struggling, he had her in his arms. It was clear that he wasn't going to let her go. "Tell me." He was angry, but she wasn't sure if he was angry at her or the stalker.

"Who is this he?" Rogers asked, as he eyed the two. There was something in his tone that Toni couldn't read.

Toni glanced at Rogers before giving a hard to push Barnes. "My stalker and yes," she answered, hating that she had to admit that she had a stalker. "And I don't want to talk about it." Before they could say anything, Toni bolted into the bathroom. She locked it as soon as the door closed. "I really don't want to talk about it!"

The doorknob wiggled as someone tried to open the door. "Toni, open the door. Let us in, please," Rogers stated as he banged on the door.

"Toni, what happen?" Barnes asked, in the softest voice he could muster.

She took a deep breath as she tried to get the nights events out of her mind. She hadn't felt this useless in a while and that was something she didn't know how to handle it. "Please, leave me alone," she begged as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was a hot mess and not in a good way. Her hair was a mad mess and her clothes were filthy. She had a huge scratch on her face and a red hand print around her neck. "Please, just go."

"Open the door," Rogers stated as he banged on the door. "You can't stay in there forever." If this was the future, he would have broken the door in, which he had done before at the tower. "Talk to me."

At that moment, he sounded like the future Rogers and Toni didn't like it. She liked the past Rogers so much better than the future one, and she wouldn't listen to him if he continued to sound like that.

"Toni," Barnes called. "Tell us what happened, so I can beat the asshole, who touched you."

It touched her to hear that from Barnes, but she didn't need or want that. What she wanted was to get back to her time, and in order to do that, she would need to break into Stark Industries. She didn't have time to worry about her emotional state. Toni took the phone out of her pocket and stared at it. She closed her eyes as she sat against in the corner. Though she could deny it aggressively to anyone who asked, she was panicking. Tears poured from her eyes.

"Toni," Rogers called, as he banged on the door again. Judging from his voice and heavy breath, he was out of breath and was sitting as well.

"Steve, I don't think she's coming out," Barnes stated. "We need to let her come to us."

"You can leave, but I'm going to stay here," Rogers replied.

If she wasn't crying and scared, she would have thought Rogers' determination was cute, but she didn't want to think about that. Toni shook her head as she took a deep breath and she allowed her mind and thoughts to overtake her.

*O*O*

* * *

_Toni didn't know how long she had been running, but it had been for a while. Glancing over her shoulder as she ran, horror filled her; she hadn't been able to put any distance between them. The shadow was still behind her and it was closing the distance. Though she was running out of breath and energy, she pushed her body harder. _

_Remembering something in her defense class, she started to zigzag, but that didn't help her as the shadow was still able to keep up with her. In seconds, she was pinned against a brick wall with a hand firmly around her neck, and no matter how much she fought, she couldn't get it off her. She forced herself to look at the shadow, which morphed into man with no-face. He was laughing at her with such an evil laugh that sent shivers down her spine. "Pretty."_

_She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. _

_The no-face man's hand danced on the helm of her shirt. "It would be so easy to have you." His hands felt cold against her skin as his fingers moved down to the rim of her jeans. _

_Still no sound came from her lips. It was as if someone had cut out her tongue. She closed her eyes as she tried not to think about the man's fingers on her. She was filled with panic and…shame as her body started to react to his touches._

"_However, my master would not approve," the man whispered in her ear. His breath was hot. His fingers left her skin, which relieved her, but it wasn't over. The hand's, around her neck, grip started to tighten, making it harder to breath. She tried to claw his hand off, but nothing she did worked. "Don't fight me. It will just make it worse. Just close your eyes."_

_But she didn't listen and continue to fight. _

"_You should listen," he stated as his free hand disappeared behind his back. She didn't have time to think why, before he stabbed her in the stomach with a long blade. She screamed as she never felt so much pain before in her life._

Toni woke up covered in sweat. She would have screamed if she could have, but her throat felt like it was on fire. The dream felt so real that she had to lift up her shirt to make sure she hadn't been stabbed. Though she knew it was a fucken dream, she expected there to be blood. "What's wrong with me?" she asked as she was bent over trying to catch her breath.

Her neck and back were in pain as she pushed herself up. She had slept at a weird angle with her head on Rogers' rip jacket, and it hurt to move. She stretched herself out as she tried to work out the knots in her body. She had fallen asleep in a bathroom before, but this was the worse that she ever felt the next morning. Maybe, she could convince them to add some pillows as this wouldn't be the only time she slept here.

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours at best. It was still dark out, when she woke, and that meant she could sneak out of the bathroom. She opened the door and took a step out, but she almost tripped over a sleeping Rogers.

"What the hell?" she whispered as she had to jump over Rogers' body. "Idiot." She kneed down. "That mustn't be comfortable." Hesitating for a second, she brushed the hair out of Rogers' eyes. "You're too cute for your own good," she admitted. She would never say that to his face. As she stood up, she looked over Rogers, who looked smaller than normal. He didn't take up much room on the floor.

Shaking her head, Toni was tempted to leave him there, but she couldn't. She kneed down again and put her hand on his shoulder to shake him. He moved slightly under her touch, but he did not wake. "Rogers," she called, but he still didn't wake. "Rogers," she called again. She had no idea that he was such a heavy sleeper. "Steve," she stated, switching to his first name. It felt weird to say it. She shook him hard.

His eyes flicked. "Toni," he muttered as he opened his eyes. "Are you okay?" He pushed himself up into a hitting position and it was clear by his stiffness that his back hurt. "Toni," he stated as he reached for her. To both of their surprises, she let him put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she stated, having nothing else to say. "You shouldn't sleep on the floor. It isn't very good for your back." She stood up slowly and Rogers' hand fell from her shoulder.

"I wasn't going to leave you after what happened," he stated as he eyed her cheek.

Toni took a deep breath. "Why don't you go to bed in your room?" she asked as she reached to him to pull him up. She could see that he was tired. She had no idea how long he had been asleep at the bathroom door. If she wasn't annoyed at him for his gentlemen qualities, she would hug him or something. He was so cute and adorable at this size.

"I-" he started, but Toni interrupted him.

"If you go to bed, I will talk to you in the morning," she stated, lying through her teeth. "I will take the couch."

Though he looked like he wanted to fight her, he put on a small smile and walked to his room. "I will hold you to that," he stated as he disappeared into his room.

After a few minutes, Toni crossed to Rogers' door and peaked in. "Geez, asleep alright." She could only make out his form in the darkness, but she could tell by his stiffness that he was out. Shaking her head, she crossed back to couch. She reached into her pocket for her broke phone and set it on the table before reaching for her tools that were still hidden under the coffee table.

Toni took the sling off so she could have better movement of her arm, and she took a seat on the floor. She should go to bed, but one, she was a night owl, and two, each time, she closed her eyes she saw that no-face man. She couldn't sleep with his haunting face…or later of one. She wished she had her special pills, which no one knew about, that she had in the future. She used the pills to sleep, because she had a hard time going to bed without them. With her genius mind, it was hard to get her mind to stop, and then, there were the panic attacks. It was hard to sleep without dreaming about _the fall_. The battle of New York affected her more than she let on. She took a deep breath as she hated to hear that lecture if the gang ever found out.

She took the back off the phone and pulled the battery out. Using the flat head, she pried the black hard covering off the phone to reveal the motherboard. She studied it, trying to see how badly damaged it was. To her luck, she could fix it. She also knew she could convert the camera into a scanner, and depending on her father's system, she might be able to hacking his system using a radio frequency; however, she doubted his system worked on some kind of frequencies in this time. If she had some kind of hook up on this scanner, that might work.

Slowly as not to break it, she detached the screen, which she would still use. Gently, she pulled out CPU, which she needed for the scanner. If she ruined that, there would be no way she could fix it in this time. After that, she took out the chipset and separated the rest of the pieces. She spared them out on the table.

With her arms on the table, she rested her chin on her hands and stared at each of the pieces. She would need some kind of heating element to fuse them together. Maybe, there was something at the tool store that she could use…or there was that idea she had earlier.

Picking up the CPU, Toni stared at it as she wondered if she should just tell Colonel Salty the truth. She took a deep breath and exhaled as that wasn't something that she wanted to do. He might lock her in a psych ward… but if this device didn't work, she would have no choice but go straight to the Colonel and explain everything. She hoped he could keep a secret, because if he did tell anyone (like Rogers or her father), the future could be screwed.

"Whatta ya doin'?"

If Toni wasn't so startled, she would have laughed at Barnes' question. She was annoyed that someone was able to sneak up on her. She was really losing her touch. "Why are you up at time?" she asked, making no motion to hide her stuff on the table. She could try, but she wasn't willing to risk damaging them in the attempt to hide them.

In hesitation, he took a few steps toward her. "Couldn't sleep," he stated, shrugging it off. "How are you?"

Toni took a deep breath. "People like to ask me that," she answered, not wanting to answer that.

He rubbed his chin as he exhaled slowly. "And you don't like to answer questions."

She stared at him from the corner of her eyes. "Not to questions I don't like," she admitted. She hated talking about her health and her weaknesses.

"So are you going to talk about it?" he asked as he took a seat on the chair next to the couch. His eyes flecked to the broken down phone on the table, and from his spot, he could see some of the pieces were burnt. He didn't ask though.

Toni looked down at her materials. "No, I'm not." She wasn't sure what she could tell him, because she wasn't really sure what had happened. At first, she thought he was Colonel's tail, but now, she didn't think so. She doubted the Salty wanted her dead. Scared yes, but dead, no. He needed her for something. She closed her eyes as this could've been a trick and she was never in any real danger, but that couldn't be right.

"I see you talked Steve to bed," he turned to the bathroom. "He had fallen asleep at the door the last I checked."

"I said I would tell him what had happened to me in the morning, if he did."

"And you lied, right?"

"Yup," she smiled at him.

"You have to tell someone. You can't keep it in. I can see it is bothering you."

She pushed herself up and onto the couch. "Did you think it was because I don't want to talk to you?" she snapped. "I'm sorry that I don't tell strangers my deep dark secrets." She regretted her tone and words the second she heard them.

Barnes took a deep breath. "I'm sorry that I overstep. I won't do it again." He stood up and turned away from her. "And just in case you wanted to know, Steve had been very worried about you. I would ask that you aren't this harsh with him as you were with me. He is too naive to handle it, and I am not sure he would be able to handle that with me gone." With that, he headed to his room.

"Geez, you make me look like a bad guy. What's wrong with not wanting to ask questions?" She knew she should shut up, but it was hard letting someone else have the last word.

"It is not that," Barnes stated as he turned back to her for a second. "It is your I-don't-care-about-others attitude. You can't treat people like that and expect people to like you." He disappeared into his bedroom. She was going to open her mouth to protest, but she decided against it.

It annoyed her that everyone thought Rogers was the one that needed to be protected. What was she? Chop liver? It annoyed her so badly, but she needed to let it go. This wasn't her time and she didn't belong here.

She picked up the pieces off the table and slipped them in her bag. Without bothering to change her clothes, she kicked her shoes off and laid down on the couch. She let herself drift.

*O*O*

* * *

She had woken up the next two mornings with tears running down her cheeks. Her hand went to her throat, and after talking a few deep breaths, she was able to convince herself that she was fine. She closed her eyes and told herself that everything was fine and she was safe.

"Are you okay, Toni?"

Toni jumped at the sound. "I'm fine," she said, trying to hide her fear. She hadn't been able to sleep lately and it had put her on edge. She knew she couldn't be able to keep this up.

Barnes crouched down in front of her, which she wasn't expecting. He hadn't talked to her since _that _morning as he was annoyed with her. Rogers didn't know what had happened, but he wasn't going to get involved. "Toni," he uttered as he looked up into her eyes.

She wanted to look away, but his eyes held her in place. He was wearing dress pants and a tan dress shirt marking that he would be leaving for the Military soon. There was a part of her that wanted to tell him not to go, but she knew it would be stupid if she did. "I'm fine."

With a bit of hesitation, he wiped the tear from her eyes. "How often do you have nightmares?" he asked. He had a hand on her knee in a sign of support.

"Not too often," she stated, not wanting to admit how bad she had it.

Barnes reached up to wipe another tear. "I will admit that I don't like to see you cry."

She hated talking about her emotions. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" she asked, as she nodded toward the door. He had his bags ready.

"I leave shortly. I'm just waiting for Steve to get dressed. He's walking me to the bus stop," he said with a smile. "But…" He paused as he thought for a second. He pulled her into a bear hug. Toni was utterly confused and not sure how to handle this. "I will miss your spunk."

Toni closed her eyes and laughed. "Trust me, you won't miss this spunky mess." She tried to push him off, but Barnes wouldn't let her go and just held her tighter. "And you can let go now."

"Only if you promised that you'll be good."

"I promised," Toni stated, not sure if she could or not.

Barnes let her go and gave her smile. "I will hold you to that." He stood up and walked to the door for his bags. "And I expect my bed to be nice and warm with I get back." He gave her a wink that could get any girl hot at the knees, including her. "I hate a cold bed."

"You will find it is harder to bed me than other women," she teased with a smile.

"I like a challenge," he replied, with a wink. Toni just laughed. "I can think-"

"I can't leave you two alone for a minute, can I?" Rogers stated as he entered the room. He had a smile on his face, as he was clearly glad that they were talking again. "Anyhow, we better get going, Bucky."

Toni watched them leave, not knowing if she would see Barnes again before he died. She felt a rush of guilty and she felt sick to her stomach.

*O*O*

* * *

The next few weeks went by faster than Toni expected. After she got the correct tools, she was able to convert her smart phone into a portal hacking device. Though she had yet to test the device, it should be able to hack into any computer system and unlock any computer controlled lock; however, just in case her father only had manual locks, she had obtained a small lock picking kit. She had honed her skills on a few different locks that she had found at the hardware store.

She also uses these weeks to watch Stark Industries, in which she had noticed a small hole in security that she could sneak through. Now, she just needed to pick the time to sneak in, but that would have to wait until the cast came off. Hopefully, it would be in the next week, or she would take a saw to it herself. It was the itchiest thing on the planet.

Toni took a deep breath as she thought about her growing relationship with Rogers. Since that night he slept outside the bathroom and with it being just her and Rogers in the apartment, she had become a little (she refused to be any more than a little) closer to him. The closer she got to him, the less she could hate him, and she loved to hate him. Then there was the fact that it was getting easier and easier for him to read her, which annoyed her. He had been able to see that she wasn't sleeping.

On the plus side, she hadn't seen her stalker since the night in the alley…though, it didn't mean he wasn't still following her. He could be and she might not even be aware of it, which scared the shit out of her. As she took a deep breath, she told herself that she couldn't allow it to get to her. She had shit that she had to do and she couldn't waste it on feeling scared.

Toni walked into the apartment to find Rogers on the couch with a depressed look on his face. "You tried to enlist again, didn't you?" she asked as she took a seat next to him.

"Yes, and I got turned down again." He looked so small, hunched over.

She wasn't sure what to say to him, as she knew the future. She could tell him to keep trying and that he would make it through, but how could she say that? No sane military recruiter would take Rogers. He had asthma, he was anemia, and there were other countless things wrong with him. However, she didn't want to kill his dream, because he needed his dream. It was the reason why he became Captain America, and this country need that. "Are you going to keep trying?"

He looked up at her and weakly smiled. "I don't know. It would be pointless." He looked so defeated. "I think I'm just going to give up."

"NO! You can't." If he did that, the whole damn future would be messed up.

Rogers laughed. "Why shouldn't I? My asthma alone makes me ineligible." He stood up and crossed to the window. "And let's not forget my color blindness."

Toni blinked a few times because she was never aware that he was color blinded. "Rogers."

His shoulders fell. "I hate that you call me Rogers. Why can't you call me Steve?" He sounded depress.

She stood there unsure of what to say to the depressed Rogers. "I call everyone by their last name. It's my thing." She closed her eyes. There were only five people that she didn't refer to by their last names: Pepper, Rhodey (yes it was a play off on his last name, but that didn't count), Happy, Bruce and Clint (which was a recent development). Okay, there was also Thor…..but he really didn't have a last name besides Odinson, and she didn't consider that a last name. With Rogers, it was on principle that she called him by his last name.

Rogers looked back to her and opened his month to say something but decided against it.

It was that look that killed her. "I'm sorry, Steve." It felt weird on her tongue, but it was worth it to see the smile on his face. He had asked her before to call him Steve and she didn't. This time, she would try her best to call him Steve. "But I still don't think you should give up."

"Why is that?"

"Because your drive is impressive." She smiled. "They'll want someone with that kind of drive." Rogers…No, Steve. She would refer to him as Steve. She liked past Steve and she would refer to him by Steve; however, future asshole would still be Rogers to her. "I don't like it when you're depressed."

Steve crossed to her and putted on a smile. "Then I will smile."

"Just make sure you don't quit."

"I won't. I promise."

"I will hold you to that."

*O*O*

* * *

Toni had decided to take another look at Stark's security before heading home from work, which was annoying as ever. She really couldn't stand the sexist attitudes of the assholes who walked by. Did they really think they were going to get in her pants that easy? Really? Were they stupid? Why in earth would she want to sleep with anyone of them when they kept insulting her because she was a woman? Just because she was female, it didn't mean that she was stupid or obedient to man. Just because she was a working girl, it did not mean she would spread her legs for anyone. Yes, she had a reputation of being a slut (one that she had started to regret), but that did not mean anything. She was not easy.

She took a deep breath as she forced those assholes out of her mind. She had other things to worry about like Rogers…Steve. It was so weird to refer to him by his first name and she still hadn't gotten used to it yet. There was a part of her that wanted to keep calling him Rogers, but she had seen the way he smiled when she called him by his name. If she was going to try and befriend him like Barnes wanted, she would call him Steve….It was still weird.

During her walk to the apartment, she kept an eye open for any possible danger, because even if she refused to be afraid, she still had to be careful. She had to be smart about this and not let her mind run wild. She needed to be logical, because if she allowed herself to get emotional, she would not accomplished what she needed to do. She needed to get her device back and find some way to power it, which would be difficult. There wasn't that she could think of, but she would find something.

A color flier caught her eyes. It was an army recruitment poster, which had seen better days. The ends of the poster had started to peel and rip. The bright colors had started to lose its color, making her wonder how long it had been hanging. She was surprised that it hadn't been replaced yet, considering there was an army recruitment station a block down. Toni could see the long line from here. "I wonder if R-Steve is there." She wasn't sure if he would be, considering their conversation a few nights ago. She really hoped he wasn't an idiot and gave up. If he did, she was going to beat his ass.

Exhaling, Toni continued her walk back to the apartment, but she didn't make it too far, hearing something. "What is that?" she asked herself, as she turned in the direction of the noise. It sounded like a fight, and she knew what a fight sounded like as she been in a lot herself. Against her better judgment, she headed toward the sound. Her heart stopped when she arrived at the location of the sound…It was an alley. "Stop being a chicken," she told herself.

She took a step into the alley and froze. Her nightmare returned, almost forcing her to her knees, as she could only see a hand around her neck, choking her. It was getting hard to breathe and she thought she was going to faint. "It's just an alley," she told herself as she tried to relax herself. She focused on the voices and not the images in her mind. "Just listen."

"Just keeping it coming. I can handle it."

Toni's eyes widened at the sound of Steve's voice and the sound of him getting his ass beat. It pissed her the hell off that someone was beating up Steve, the Shrimp. Why would someone beat him? He was small and not a threat in anyway. Using her anger, she looked forward and pushed herself forward. Her heat beat rapidly.

"I will," came the bully response.

Exhaling, she forced herself to think about Steve and not her nightmares that plagued her. As she rounded a corner in the alley, she saw the asshole that was beating up Steve, and she saw red. He had Steve by the collar against the wall. "Hey, asshole, get your stinking hands off him," she demanded.

The bully dropped Steve and turned to her. He put on a creepy smile. "Look what we have here. You're such a pretty thing. Maybe, when I'm done with him, we can go out."

"No way in hell would I go out with a jerk like you," she stated getting in his face. "Why don't you get lost before I make you cry?"

A worried Steve looked up from his spot on the ground. "Toni, stop. I got this." He pushed himself up and wobbled as he tried to stand. "I don't need you to stand up for me."

Toni spared him a glance before turning back to the bully. "Go," she ordered. Her good hand was balled, ready to punch the asshole in the face. Even with a broken arm, she could still kick ass...Her mind frozen for a second as it flashed back to the hand round her neck.

"Why would I leave such a pretty dame alone?" he asked as he put an arm around her. "We could go out. Why would you want to be around a guy like that?"

It took her a few seconds to realize what the pig was doing and where his hand was. She slapped him hard crossed his face and kneed him in the family jewels. He went down in seconds. "I don't date slim balls," she glared down at him. "Now get lost."

The asshole struggled to get to his feet. "That wasn't very nice. Someone should teach you matters. I would be happy to do so." He stepped to her, too closer for Toni's liking, but she did not move. She stared him down. "You have some balls."

"Why thank you." She paused as she put on a smile. "And you don't. It's a shame, isn't it? Picking on someone smaller than you?" she mocked. She glanced toward Steve, who was looking intensely at the ground.

"Why you-"

"Why I what?" she interrupted. "Why don't you leave before I beat you again?" Her heart was still beating rapidly as the bully did not move. He just stood still.

He glanced at Steve before taking a step to the side. "So not worth it," he stated as he turned to leave. "But if you change your mind, Fire Rocket, let me know." He slapped her on the ass before leaving.

_Fire Rocket?_ Toni turned. "Next time you touched my ass, I will shove your foot up your ass," she hissed as she watched him wobbled away. Shaking her head, she turned to Steve, who had gotten to his feet. "Steve, are you okay?" she asked, reaching out to him. Steve stared at her hand before walking away. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I didn't need your help." His back was toward her. "I could have handled that."

"He was beating you up." She recognized the tension in his shoulders, which was the same tension she had always seen in him when he was talking to her in the future. Why was he so pissed at her? "Did you want me to let him? He could have killed you."

Steve turned to her. "Yes!" There was a pause. "I don't need you to save me. Why kind of man gets save by a dame with a broken arm?"

She suddenly got pissed at him. She never expected him to get sexist on her. "Geez, Rogers," she stated. He frowned at the use of his last name. "You would rather get beat up, almost die, just to save your manhood? I'm not good enough to save you?" She paused as she tried to calm herself, but she failed. "I didn't think you were a chauvinist pig." She stated as she stormed off, not waiting for him to response. He reminded her too much of the future Captain which she didn't like.

*O*O*

* * *

After that fight, Rogers (he was Rogers again to her) and Toni hadn't spoken in a few days. She knew Rogers wanted to talk to her as she caught him staring at her, but she wasn't going to make the first move. She refused to make the first move, because she was Toni Stark, damn it. People came to her, not the other way around. Besides, it would be best if they didn't make up. She didn't need him missing her.

Shaking her head, she lay in Barnes bed and stared at the ceiling. It was strange to sleep in his bed as she still couldn't get pass the smell of his room, which smelled like him. Even the colors and fabrics of the room were so strongly him. Toni could almost see him laying in bed with her, and it made her sick. Rolling over, she covered her head with his pillow as she tried not to think about Barnes' death.

Toni rolled back over and stared at her left arm, which was cast-less. She had seen a hot doctor (yes, she flirted), who had stated it had healed quite well and the cast could come off. He had told her that it was going to be sore, which it was, and that she should avoid any heavy lifting, but it was useable. Even with the pain, she was still glad it was off, because the cast was the most annoying thing on the planet and she would do anything to avoid getting another cast.

Toni exhaled as she still had things to worry about. She still had to figure out how to power the damn device. If only her arch reactor was working at 100%, she could tap into that, even though it was risky. She took another deep breath as she tried to think of something. _What do you have access to that you can use_? She thought to herself. There wasn't much she could think of. Maybe, the General had something; he had access to a lot of things.

Taking a deep breath, Toni pushed herself into a sitting position and stared at the wall. She had things to do and she couldn't spend all day hiding from Rogers. She did have to go to work and all, which meant she would have to leave the room. She couldn't understand why she was being foolish about this whole thing. It annoyed her.

Acting like an adult, she walked out of Barnes' bedroom and into the kitchen. Rogers, who was sitting at the table, looked up then looked back down quickly. He hadn't made eye contact for more than two second, which annoyed her. He sat very still and positioned a newspaper around his face so she couldn't see his face. "Rogers, we need to get over this," she stated, deciding she would rather make up with him than suffer this awkwardness anymore.

He put the paper down slowly and turned to her, but his eyes didn't stay on her for long. "It came out wrong before."

"Did you mean it? You didn't want me to save you?" she asked.

"…I did mean it." There had been some hesitation in his voice.

"So how did it come out wrong?" she asked. It annoyed her that he didn't want to be saved by her, but she guessed she could understand. She wouldn't want to be saved by anyone as well. She could save herself.

Rogers stood up and took a few seconds toward her. "I wanted to explain, but I couldn't find the right words." He took a deep breath. "I….It isn't about you saving me. I just don't want to be saved. I want to be strong enough to save myself." He paused. "I hate being useless, which is what I am." He closed his eyes for a second before looking up. "I want to say sorry; it wasn't meant to be an insult. Please understand."

She knew how he felt. "It's fine, Steve." She would be insulted as well if someone tried to save her.

He smiled at the use of his first name. "At least, I'll always know when you're mad at me by the use of my last name."

Toni let out a chuckle. "This is true."

"I see your case is off."

"Just got it off." Toni waved her arm in the air. "I can move it! It feels so great." She paused as she noticed his smile, which seemed to take up his whole face. "Anyhow, I need to get to work."

"I will walk with you." She had no interest in turning him down, because the attack was still fresh in her mind.

*O*O*

* * *

Toni let out a loud laugh as Steve tried to act something out. Having decided to stay in, Steve and she were playing charades. Since she had started to call him Steve (the second time), everything had come together with them. She never did talk to him about that night she was attacked or about the many nightmares that she had been having, but they did talk about things: his love life being one of those things. She kept trying to play wing man and get him a girlfriend, because he needed love in his life….He also needed to get laid. She wouldn't let him be a 90 year old virgin, which could loosen up the future Rogers; however, Steve had wanted no part in it. "Really, I have no fucken idea what you are," she stated with another laugh.

Steve made a face at swearing, which he always did when she cursed. He wasn't a big fan of her cussing. "I'm an elephant," he stated. "And you are just bad at this game."

"Hey, Hey, Hey. I'm not bad at anything!" she smiled with a wink.

He let out a snort. "You're just as bad as Bucky."

Toni pretended to be hurt. "C'mon, I'm not as bad as Barnes."

Steve snorted. "Maybe." She opened her mouth as if to say something in protest. "I was kidding."

"I know."

"So it's your turn," he stated as he took a seat next to her.

"You don't want to do something else?" she asked. She was so up to playing wingman again. "We can always go out."

"You just want to hook me up again," he stated annoyed. "I thought we learned this the last time that no one wants a guy like me." He sounded depressed.

"You need to have faith!" She stated as she grabbed onto his arm. "Any woman would be proud to have you. You just need to show them your personality."

He let out a chuckle. "That's what they say about losers."

Toni's hand dropped to Steve's knees. "You can't believe that. If you do, I will beat you," she threatened as she lifted up her arms.

Steve smiled weakly. "Can't we just stay in? I'd rather be here with you."

"Sure, we can," she stated, as she tried to think of someway that she could get his confidence up. She couldn't get over how different he was from the present day Rogers. "Let me think of something I can be." She stood up and put her hand to her head to think. "I got it. You really?"

"I am."

Toni would let him be happy today, because he would probably not see her again. Either she succeeded and got back to her time or failed and ended in jail. Though she felt bad at the thought of leaving him, she had to do it. She had to get her device back, and now that, she got her cast off, there was no stopping her from breaking into Stark industries.

* * *

MUAH.

In the next chapter, we will see if Toni will be able to break in and steal back her device.


End file.
